What's Your Center?

No matter what your ambition in life, we all have a purpose on this Earth.  Deep down in the heart of every human being lies a God given drive to make our mark on the World around us.  Some are quite overt about it and others allow fear to keep them from accomplishing their purpose.  However, we can't deny who we are or who God created us to be.

A little over a week ago, I was talking to a friend, and we were talking about motivation.  And, in true Tabby fashion, I thought of a kid's movie that had a great question in it.  Before I give you that question, I will show you the little snippet of this movie that motivated this conversation.

        

So, What Is Your Center?  What is it about you that drives you every single day?  What one aspect of who you are makes you get up in the morning ready to do your best?

In business, it is so important to know what your goal is.  When you know what your goal is, you can tailor your every day activities and plans to make that goal a reality.  It gives you a mark with which you can measure your success day by day.  The problem with a goal however, is that it is only one part of the equation.  If who you are inside doesn't match up with the goal you have placed for yourself, the results could be very disappointing.

As I started to reason out this equation, I began to see the "Center" of those around me.  I began linking up there goals with who they are, and in every successful person those elements go hand in hand.

For example, I have a friend who has this infectious enthusiasm that spills over onto everyone around him.  He has some very lofty goals, and he knows that with hard work and a little healthy competition he will get there.  He loves to win, and even more he loves to see those around him win.  Deep down motivating and helping others obtain their goals is totally his Jam!

While I could sit at my desk and reason the "Center" of those around me, I had a mental block when it came to myself.  I have been thinking about this question ever since that day.  What is it that God placed in me?  What was I created to do?

One night, during a time of worship, I had a breakthrough. (To be honest, I am really uncomfortable sharing this with you, but God is prompting me to do so.)  That night I could finally objectively look at my own life and see what drives me every single day.  To be honest, the answer is really quite simple but it explains my life thus far to a tee.  At my very "Center", is Love!

It is the most motivating aspect of my personality.  Every decision I have ever made, every goal I ever set for myself had at its core, Love.  More than anything else, I want to show the World around me what unconditional love looks like.  It is what drives me and makes me who I am.  At times, it has caused me to be quite vulnerable.  People in my past have taken advantage of this aspect of my personality.  But no matter what, I want to love people and show them how much God loves them.  It is the reason I get up in the morning, and the driving force of everything I do.

This realization about myself has helped me redefine my personal definition of success.  In my mind, I had reasoned that compared to others with my background, I had not accomplished much in my life.  However, God has redefined success for me in the light of who he created me to be.

So, what about you?  What drives you?  Do your goals fall in line with who you are?  Success can only be accomplished when our goals and who we are go hand in hand.  Motivation comes from within.  Despite what those motivational coaches out there want you to think, it starts on the inside.  So, What is your "Center"?

Count on Me

Ok... so let me just confess.  Hello, my name is Tabitha, and I am addicted to movies!  I have Cinematic issues, and I tend to force my obsession onto others.  I would seek help, but I don't want to!  LOL! 

That being said, there is this movie with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra called  "On the Town."  (I warned you, and you kept reading. You only have yourself to blame!)  Before you continue this post, you must watch this song from that movie.  It's mandatory!!! Don't even think about reading the rest without watching.

 

Now, be honest you are glad you watched it!  It's funny right!  Quite honestly, this is one of my favorite songs from a musical.  It just makes me smile, and it makes me think of my best friend who is many, many miles away.  No matter how long it's been since we have been together, we can talk and pick right up where we left off.  She isn't just my friend but a blessing from God himself.  I can count on her, and she can count on me. 

I started to really think about this one night when I was coming home late from work.  I caught myself doing something that I do every night quite unconsciously.  In fact, it started many moons ago in Bible College.

One of my friends and I went for a walk and ended up walking the track at the local high school down the street in the middle of the night.  The sky was alive with thousands of stars.  It was as if the whole world disappeared under a blanket of God created beauty and light.  Thomas Kinkade wasn't the original painter of light...God was!  That night my friend began pointing out different constellations and one of his favorites was Orion's Belt.  Those three stars standing in a row became a constant in my life after that.  No matter where I am, before I go inside for the night, I always find Orion's Belt. 

The other night I got out of the car, looked up, and found my three stars and a wave of peace came over me.  I realized at that very moment I had been doing that every night since that night on the track.  I like it because no matter where I am in the world, I can count on it being there.  It's like God placed those 3 stars together just for me.  It's a constant that I can always count on.  It may seem strange but it showed me two things.

First of all, I love that God places reminders all around us that we can count on Him.  The Word of God says, "he will never leave you, nor forsake you."  God is always there.  He is a constant in a World that changes by the second.  The Bible says, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  God is always the same....We are the ones that change.  There is peace and comfort in knowing that no matter what happens in my life, that God is there and He loves me.  And when I find myself struggling, all I have to do is look up.  He's there and ready to take care of me.  I love that I can count on that no matter what.

Secondly, it reminds me that we need to be a constant for others.  I want people to feel like they can count on me.  Nothing makes me happier than blessing others.  When I am having a bad day, I like to find someone to bless.  I like to take the focus off of the negative I am feeling and plant a little love into someone else's life.  All of the sudden, I feel better.  It makes me think of the show "Friends" when Joey tells Phoebe that there is no such thing as a selfless good deed.  He may be right...Watch this...(Please forgive the language)


Ok...I'm not just a movie junkie...LOL!  Anyway, I love to do something for someone else when I am feeling crummy!  It completely changes my mood and it blesses someone else.  I want to be the one people can count on. 

So next time you are outside at night, look for those 3 stars in a row.  Let it be a reminder that you can Count on God and You can Count on Me.  (ok...now to watch all of "On the Town")

Blessings!

It's Time for ..."20 Seconds of Insane Courage"

Have you spent too much of your time worrying what other people think?  Have you held back from being a little radical because you weren't sure how others would react?

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm done playing it safe.  I have done that my whole life, and it is no wonder that I am nowhere close to where I want to be in ministry.  I spent all my time trying to get along and not rock the boat.  I allowed others to intimidate me, to cause me to question who I was and what I was called to do.  And you know what, they weren't strangers.  Men and women of God that I looked up to from childhood.  They pushed me down and I let them every time!  Well you know what?  Something broke over me a few days ago, and I am done allowing other people to dictate my calling and abilities.  I am done walking on eggshells and worrying what the World will think.  Today is a new day.

Look around at the World we are living in.  The people who have given their lives to protect our homes and communities are being gunned down.  Our children's innocence is being stripped away to the point that they aren't even safe in their schools any longer.  Churches are choosing to change what they believe in order to obtain more members, instead of standing up for the truth given us in the Word of God.  

It is time for "20 seconds of insane courage...20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery."  Ok, yes I'm quoting a movie.

Sometimes that is all it takes.  I have begun a new chapter, and I will take you on this journey with me.  I have a passion for people.  In my daily life, I refrain or water down what I want to say in order to be accepted.  NO MORE!  Oh, I will still be tactful, but I will no longer water down the gospel to make it more palatable.  Yeah, I've done it and I bet you have too.  I will no longer limit my devotional life to a little while in the morning or at night.  I am making my pursuit of God a priority all day long.  Praying more, reading more, writing more, and did I say praying more?

Church it is time to pick a fight with the enemy on our knees.  I have been reading Mark Batterson's book "All In" and if you can't tell it has had quite an effect.  I highly recommend it.  It is time to make war in the Heavenlies.  If we want to see our country turn back to God, that battle must begin on our knees.  We can no longer make excuses... we must find the time to Pray.  No more excuses.

So who's with me?  Are you ready for "20 seconds of insane courage?"  Sometimes the smallest most radical step can cause a fire that consumes the World.  Let's do this!

"Learn Their Story"

One of the sweetest, most Godly women I have known in my life very often gives one powerful piece of advice, "learn their story."  We tend to make judgments about those around us before we take the time to learn their story.  Who are they and how did they get to this point in their life?  If you can't answer those questions then you have some work ahead of you. 

I was contemplating this yesterday in the midst of watching the movie, "Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs 2."  I know, I know...You are wondering how I got there.  Well in this film, Flint Lockwood takes the word of someone else that the creatures on the island are dangerous without first checking it out himself.  I understand why he did that, because he had no reason not to believe his childhood hero. Watch Flint overreact to one of the creatures they come across on the island...
 

We too often tend to make judgments solely on the word of others, and to be honest we end up looking just as silly as Flint did in this segment.  We must learn to ignore the gossip of others and find out for ourselves.  The Bible is clear about judging others. 

Matthew 7:1-5

" “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

We are no better than anyone else.  We all have a story.  We all have things in our lives that we daily have to give to God.  I say it all the time..."I'm a Mess!... but I'm God's mess."  I know that God is helping me deal with my own issues.  I don't need to spend my time judging someone else's life.  That is between them and God. 

Take the time today to get to know someone around you.  Perhaps you see them at work everyday, but you truly don't know their story.  Ask them about their life!  You may find out the people around you that you have passed judgments on, are no different than you.  I find all the time that it is truly a small world after all.  Very often I have more in common with people than I first postulate. 

The biggest step in loving God's people as we are commanded is to Learn their Story! 

Now sing with me...."Getting to know You..."