Live a life bigger than yourself, bigger than your needs
There was a time in my life where I constantly awakened in the morning with this question:
'Can my life become bigger than what it is right now?'
During those days, I was a man filled with gifts and busy in places where my talents were not being used. So I would wake up and direct myself towards locations and places where I would meet a sense of absenteeism and where I would really feel as if my life was passing me by.
When my life revolved around my primary needs, there was no space for influencing humanity. My 8 am to 10 pm day would focus on one thing: 'How can I provide for myself?'
Imagine living entire years of an existence only trying to respond to the question: 'How can I provide for myself?'
And as I got older, I knew that one day, I would be sitting on a chair telling the story of my life to my grandchildren...and what would I tell them? Shall I tell them that my entire life was a race where I had to do anything just to pay my bonds,mortgages,car payments, debts,food? Or shall I tell them of how I lived my life as God envisioned it and how He provided for me while I was a blessing for others?
I made my choice and I have decided to live a life bigger than my bills, bigger than food,bigger than my nationality,bigger than my skin color,bigger than hate and worry and anxiety. Because one day, I want to tell my grandchildren of how I worked and helped others through my writings,blogging,ministry,generosity... I will tell them of how God used me to heal people,help the unsaved, to show compassion towards others,shake nations....I want a story that goes beyond the worries of this world.
One day Jesus tells a crowd:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:25-34)
Interestingly, Jesus tells the crowd to move their entire focus from themselves and to live a life bigger than their needs by seeking the Kingdom and by living the life God requires of them.
Now and then, I get messages and emails of people who would like to do the things I do: 'Influencing others positively for the Kingdom of God'. In their emails, they tell me how they wish their lives had more meaning, they tell me how absent they feel at their workplace, they tell me how they wish they could be in places other than at the workplace they hate...But some of them are driven by their needs and self-centered will and that's why many of them won't be able to step into the life God requires of them unless they choose to live a life bigger than their needs.
But it does not have to be that way with you. Long ago, I chose to live a life bigger than my bills and primary needs to create space for other people who need to be taught the truths of God,people who need help, people who needs salvation, people who need the light of God in their lives, people who need relief ect...If I can do it, you can do it too with the gifts God has planted in you.
I am not saying that you should forget yourself and your family. But I want you to discover how more meaningful life becomes when you can not only have enough in your life while helping others.
Remember one thing: “not every form of help should be reduced to monetary assistance. Sometimes, people will need money and sometimes they won’t need money as a form of help. Even if you don;t have enough money you can help with advice, prayer, a meal, a cup of coffee, an encouraging message, a visit, a phone call…
I know people who are so self-centered that they can’t even make a phone call to encourage people in distress. It is sad because their own primary needs (food and bills) have submerged them. Do not accept that kind of life.
Here is a question to really meditate on:
'Are you just a machine created to only place food on your table and pay off bills?' Is that the only thing God created you for?'
All I encourage you to do, is to live a life bigger than yourself.
God never sent you on Earth to just pay bills and put food on your table.
There is more.
#Encouragement #Motivation