Who, are you??

As we go thru life we find out alot about ourselves. We find our strengths, weaknesses, passions, likes, dislikes and the list goes on and on. Something that struck me as “misguided” was the show “Whale Wars". As you watch this show you realize just how passionate these volunteers are for a cause they deeply believe in, to end commercial whaling, to the point of risking their lives (on a seemly daily basis).
As we watch with fascination as to how the show unfolds and what tactic the “Sea Shepherds” will come up with next to deter the Japanese whaling fleet, it is evident they have a “whatever it takes” attitude. The Captain has stated in every episode I can recall, “we are willing to risk the lives of the crew to save whales”.
I totally support the “whatever it takes” attitude and love passionate people but we’re talking about risking human life for some over grown sushi. Now that may raise some eyebrows but it’s the truth. So naturally I asked myself, what would happen if we took the passion of the “Sea Shepherds” and used it for something that made a real difference.
I may be misinformed here but I am pretty confident that there are people in your neighborhood, town, city, county and state that need help. I am not sure why we are always looking at some big global way to help someone or for the next “cause” when the greatest cause we may be a part of is right in front of us.
Why is it that we always seem to be willing to go the extra mile AFTER something happens, why can’t we already be there WHEN something happens? (Katrina/Haiti/Nashville Floods).
So I ask…Who, are you? Are you a responder after something happens or are you already helping? Are you fighting for a cause that is going to make a difference long after your gone? Are you fighting for something that will have an impact on your children’s children? We need to focus on what really matters, so what matters to you and just exactly…Who, are you?

Choices

Isn't it interesting how seemingly minor choices can turn out to have HUGE consequences? I'm sure we have all learned over the years that life comes down to a series of choices. Some big, some small but never the less they are choices. The overall outcome and legacy of our entire existence really is the combination of choices we've made at different times. One point that I've had the pleasure of sharing with my kids is that when they've asked me why God didn't make everyone "just love him" is that God could've very easily done just this, but he allowed us the privilege of CHOOSING him as our Lord and Savior. When we make a choice, we take ownership. Just like when we are chosen to participate in a game or serve on a team, it means something when someone chooses you. This same principal is also what allows us to make wrong choices in our daily lives.

I leave you with this; when we go thru the day, let's give it our best effort to make good choices so that the consequences are in our favor. Ask God for direction and guidance in every decision you make, our legacy depends on it. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov%203:5-6&version=NIV

Are you passionate?

Hopefully you'll agree with me that passion is contagious. Is there anything as passionate as somebody rooting for their favorite sports team and they manage to score in the last few seconds to win the game? Can you recall when your favorite team was down by one score and they managed to score as time expired? What a feeling it is to pull out a victory at the last second.



Here is a question for you. When was the last time you had that much passion for your family? Do you get the same feelings in your stomach when you see your family as you do when your team is marching down the field to score in a crucial game?



It's cool to be passionate and it's natural that you love your family so why is it that we take our families for granted? What is really more important? If our children are our legacy why do we not act like it?



Is it ok to get short with our kids when they interrupt "the game" on 4th and goal? Is it ok to shhh them when we're on the phone with a colleague at night while at home? Is it ok to ask them to wait while we check twitter? Of course not.



Let's be passionate for what matters.