"Be a role model to someone."
That's what my Dove chocolate wrapper said today. "Be a role model..." Wow. That's a big responsibility.
It's something that I have tried to be in the past. I've had "little sisters" at school and/or church that I have tried to take under my wing. It's something that I am now as I'm watching my little brother grow up and teaching kids at church. I love the idea of being a mentor, because my mentors have made such a big impact on my life.
But that responsibility is not something that you can take lightly. I once had a younger friend's mother tell me that she was glad I was around as a positive influence on her daughter. Just having her mom tell me that really made me think about every decision I made. And, honestly, I think that if everyone had that kind of responsibility it would really do our community, state, country and world a lot of good.
Think about it - if you had someone holding you accountable for every move you made, wouldn't you think twice about all the things you do? If you had to consider the impact that you were making on your younger siblings, friends, peers, etc., wouldn't you be more careful about the way you act and the things you say?
The biggest problem is that we all DO have someone holding us accountable. You may not know it, but someone, somewhere IS watching you. There's a little kid out there that thinks you are the coolest person they know. There's a younger friend, a younger brother or a cousin that wants to be just like you.
Do you realize how big of a responsibility you have? Do you realize that every move you make is making a difference in someones life and that it's up to you to decide if you are going to be a good influence or a bad one? Do you understand the weight of your decisions on the lives of people you care about?
I wish that we all knew how much the little things mattered. If we were able to see past ourselves and see the long term affects of our daily actions, we would all be so much more responsible and so much more respectable. Think about what a better place the world would be...
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Matthew 5:14
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29
"...be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12b
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
"Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." Psalm 56:1-4
Do you remember the story about David and Goliath? David was a young shepherd boy and his father sent him to the army camp to take his brothers some food. When David got to the camp, he found tents full of soldiers that were scared. They were hiding. Why? Because a giant was parading in the battlefield, calling for someone to come fight him. He was big. He was bad. He was a bully. And not one soldier wanted to fight him.
But David did.
Are you as brave as David?
You may not be in an army camp, but if you're a Christian, each day is a battle. And Satan has his giant warriors parading in and out of your home, school, office and even your church. His warriors are big. His warriors are bad. His warriors are bullies. And they're calling you into battle.
What warriors? They're more familiar to you than you would think. They have names like Stress, Worry, Fear, Failure, Jealousy, and Bitterness. They roam all over your life. They stake their claim to every part of you that they can get. They get in between you and God. They stand up, tall and looming, in front of you and try to distract you from how big and mighty your God is.
See, the problem with the soldiers that were hiding in their tents is that they knew all about Goliath. They knew how big he was. They knew what size sandal he wore, what size sword he carried and how big around his biceps were. They had looked at him for so long that they couldn't see anything else but him. They had become consumed with thoughts about how big Goliath was.
David, on the other hand, was more focused on how big God was. David never saw Goliath before he decided to fight him. But he knew that his God was bigger than any giant that was roaming around looking for a fight.
So how do we defeat our giants? We have to do what David did. We have to focus on God.
I just finished reading Max Lucado's book Facing Your Giants (I read the teen edition because I am teaching parts of the book to my Wednesday night youth class, but he also has an adult edition available).
One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
Do you feel like giants are trampling all over your life? Are they so big and so scary that you can't see around them? Try looking at God for a change. He's bigger than any giant that you'll ever face, and He's waiting to show you what He can do - if you'll let Him.
Do you remember the story about David and Goliath? David was a young shepherd boy and his father sent him to the army camp to take his brothers some food. When David got to the camp, he found tents full of soldiers that were scared. They were hiding. Why? Because a giant was parading in the battlefield, calling for someone to come fight him. He was big. He was bad. He was a bully. And not one soldier wanted to fight him.
But David did.
Are you as brave as David?
You may not be in an army camp, but if you're a Christian, each day is a battle. And Satan has his giant warriors parading in and out of your home, school, office and even your church. His warriors are big. His warriors are bad. His warriors are bullies. And they're calling you into battle.
What warriors? They're more familiar to you than you would think. They have names like Stress, Worry, Fear, Failure, Jealousy, and Bitterness. They roam all over your life. They stake their claim to every part of you that they can get. They get in between you and God. They stand up, tall and looming, in front of you and try to distract you from how big and mighty your God is.
See, the problem with the soldiers that were hiding in their tents is that they knew all about Goliath. They knew how big he was. They knew what size sandal he wore, what size sword he carried and how big around his biceps were. They had looked at him for so long that they couldn't see anything else but him. They had become consumed with thoughts about how big Goliath was.
David, on the other hand, was more focused on how big God was. David never saw Goliath before he decided to fight him. But he knew that his God was bigger than any giant that was roaming around looking for a fight.
So how do we defeat our giants? We have to do what David did. We have to focus on God.
I just finished reading Max Lucado's book Facing Your Giants (I read the teen edition because I am teaching parts of the book to my Wednesday night youth class, but he also has an adult edition available).
One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
"Focus on giants - you stumble. Focus on God - your giants tumble."
Do you feel like giants are trampling all over your life? Are they so big and so scary that you can't see around them? Try looking at God for a change. He's bigger than any giant that you'll ever face, and He's waiting to show you what He can do - if you'll let Him.
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