'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12
GPS is a wonderful thing. You open your phone and go to your navigation app and the little blue dot tells you exactly where you are. If you are home, maybe that is not such a big deal. But if you are traveling and feel like you might be lost, that information is key. Once you know where you are you can determine if you really are lost and then you can plot a course for continuing your journey. You can make a course correction if necessary or you can just keep going because you are on the right track after all. Ah, GPS! If only a GPS was available to determine where you are regarding fulfilling your divine potential!
If there were, this task would be a lot easier, but there isn’t. You and I need to do some hard work in recognizing where we are in relation to fulfilling our deepest desires and designed destiny.
In previous posts, we have been considering what we want out of life and what we value most. You have begun considering where you want to go, but you can’t plan how to get there until you know where you are beginning your journey from.
Where are you right now? Are you on the right track or do you need to make a course correction? Here are some things to consider.
What’s on your calendar? Where are you spending most of your time? Are you doing the things that fill you with purpose? Are you doing things that delight your heart and God’s? We all have necessary tasks, but do your necessary tasks outweigh your creative endeavors and places of service? Are your necessary tasks draining and distracting you from your destiny?
Your calendar doesn’t lie. If you want to know where you are, understanding how you are spending your time shines a light on your current priorities. Your actual priorities, not your preferred priorities. As a pastor, my husband has often said, “You live what you really believe.” That means that your actions speak louder than your words. What do your actions tell you about where you are? What’s on your calendar?
What’s in your inbox? What kind of mail are you receiving? What mailing lists are you on? Is the content leading you toward fulfilling your divine potential? Is it distracting you from your destiny? What does it tell you about yourself?
I hope that you have a regular habit of clearing out your inbox. 2000 messages in your inbox do not mean that you are popular! If your email inbox is overloaded, or if you are receiving a ton of paper junk mail, there is a good chance that you are distracted and unfocused.
I love to explore information and learn things. It’s part of who I am. I am way too attracted to those free downloads that many sites offer with more opportunities to learn. Those sites usually require you to provide your email address so that they can add you to their mailing list and target you as a potential paying customer. Now I recognize that is the plan, but it took a while for me to realize that all that information and all those emails were not a help but a distraction. So, before I sign up for one of those free downloadable courses, I try to ask myself if I will actually read and use the information. The truth is that I don’t always do that successfully. I can convince myself that the answer is yes when it really isn’t. So, I have tried to develop the habit of regularly unsubscribing from lists that don’t add value to my life and information that is not helping me to fulfill my purpose. Certainly, that limits my inbox, but most importantly it requires me to keep my attention focused on where I want to go. What’s in your inbox?
Who is in your messages? Who are you spending the most time communicating with? What does that tell you? Are you texting, emailing, and phoning the people who encourage and strengthen you or are you in constant contact with people who drain every drop of creative energy you’ve got?
There are relationships that are and should be giving relationships. With those people, you have something that they need and you have been given a great opportunity to be an influence in their lives. I am not telling you to cut those relationships off. I am suggesting that you evaluate how many of your relationships are giving relationships and how many are mutual relationships where you and the other person are both giving and receiving. You need to be on the receiving side sometimes or you will not grow!
In a true giving relationship, the other person is benefitting, and you benefit by watching them grow. Keep those! They bring you joy and satisfaction. When those people show up in your messages you smile. They show you that you are on the path to fulfilling your divine destiny and potential!
Some of those giving relationships are not really giving relationships, they are stealing relationships. The other person is stealing what you have to offer. They drain all your energy and never make use of it. They only take but are not benefitting from what they take. Your interactions are not benefitting them or you. You might call them toxic. Those are the relationships that you want to gently eliminate. Those are the true distractions. Who is in your messages?
My Friend, once you know where you are, you will have clarity on what you need to do next so that you can fulfill the purpose you were designed for. Are you ready to check your GPS? What’s on your calendar? What’s in your inbox? Who is in your messages? If you will take the time to regularly evaluate those areas, you’ll know where you are and can make the necessary changes to head where you want to go.
Destination: Divine potential. Time to check your location and get going in the right direction!
Key Question: Where am I right now?
A Scripture to Consider: 'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12
A YES Challenge: Take some time to evaluate your calendar, your inbox, and your messages. What are they telling you about where you are? Now, determine one change you can make that will help you redirect toward fulfilling the destiny you were created for.
Prayer: Father God, You created me with a purpose. You filled me with a potential that I want to live out. Help me to evaluate where I am right now so that I can regroup and refocus toward fulfilling that divine potential. My life is Yours! I want to be and do all that You designed for me. Help me to evaluate and redirect my energy toward doing just that. Amen.