Hi there! Happy Hump Day! It’s been a busy week over here if you can’t already tell.
Anyway, today, as I often do, I want to again talk about something completely unrelated but share worthy none the less. Here we go…
I always love to share my take on the compelling messages that I hear on Sundays at my church, North Point Community Church. Our pastor, Andy Stanley, shares incredible messages week after week that provide awesome talking points for me because they are so applicable to every walk of life. This past week was no different. Whenever he delivers a message that I know you all will enjoy, like his, “What Would an Extraordinary Person Do?” I love to share the concept and provide my takeaway, in hopes that you too will gain something from the message.
Sunday, in the sermon titled “Ask It,” Andy challenged us to ask ourselves this simple, yet complex question…
How many times in your life do you wish you would have stopped and asked yourself this question before acting? For me, far more than I can count.
In today’s fast paced society, it’s easy to act fast. It’s easy to fire off an email, to make a large purchase that you couldn’t really afford, to voice your opinion, to wait until tomorrow, to stay up too late, to go to bed too early, to stay, to leave, to pass up an opportunity, to end a relationship, to drive recklessly, to eat unhealthy, to skip your workout, etc., etc., etc.
If in every situation we stop and just ask it, “In light of my past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” so often we would make a different decision, wouldn’t we?
We might go to bed a little bit earlier, we might wait to make the purchase once we can afford it, we might choose the veggie plate instead of the fried chicken, we might stay, we might leave, we might stand our ground and say no, we might prepare more, we might study harder, we might keep our gym date – we might do a lot of things differently because we are thinking beyond the present moment.
While it is extremely important to live in the now, it is just as important to keep our current and future plans, dreams and goals in mind as well. I recently read this quote and I keep coming back to it day after day…
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” — Laurence J Peter
This can be applied in so many arenas of life and is the exact result of what will happen if we don’t stop and ask ourselves “In light of my past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” If our decisions are not well thought out, they are likely to lead us down a path that we never intended being on. Sometimes this can work in our favor but usually it isn’t so.
As we begin another year, I challenge the both of us to apply this question to every area of life: spiritually, mentally, physically, financially and beyond, from the way we spend our money, to the relationships that we hold, to our weekly exercise habits and even what we put in our mouths. Wouldn’t that be the wise thing to do?
Can you think of a time that you wish you would have stopped and asked yourself this question? I certainly can!
For more info on the sermon or to follow it in the next few weeks, check out last weeks sermon or tune in on Sundays at 9am, 11am, 2pm, 6pm and 10 pm on North Point Online.
Have a great day friends!
Good health!
Comments on this entry are closed.