Tag Archive for: Purpose
Patterns
Knitting
Patterns for Life
A Heroes Journey
The Storyline
Words Matter
Do you listen to your heart?
Words matter.
All week long one word has played continually into my thoughts.
Iโve felt as if it has been etched not only upon, but also into my heart and mind.
No matter where I went, or what I did, it would always return.
Itโs an unusual word.
Indefatigabilityโฆ! (Dutch โ onvermoeibaarheid)
I wasnโt even too certain what it meant, so I looked up the dictionary definition.
โTireless determination, incapable of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring.โ
I reflected upon the definition for a while.
I questioned myself and asked “What does this word mean for me?”
After a while, I began to understand.
Day in, day out, week in, week out, I am surrounded by young missionaries who possess the most remarkable indefatigable spirit.
I am with them, constantly.
Being with them one by one, in group training sessions and large conferences, I am reminded of the desire of their hearts to share their witness and testimony of Jesus Christ.
They all take several knocks โ daily.
GRIT
Yet, each of them possesses grit!
True grit!ย And Iโm not talking about John Wayne!
A toughness, an indefatigable resilient courage, to bounce back, again and again and again.
As defined by Angela Duckworth, grit is โOur passion and perseverance to reach long term goals.โ
I am so grateful for my association with each and every one of them.
They have been called from many different countries and cultures all across the world to bring a message of hope and peace to a world that is in constant peril and commotion. (2 Timothy 3:3/D&C 45:26)
Through my personal interactions with each of them, I am a witness to the fact, that they possess an indefatigable zeal and testimony of the message they share.
It is a message of great hope, peace and centred in their love of Jesus Christ.
I know that when the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy, regardless of what is happeningโor not happeningโin the world or in our lives.
As President Russell M. Nelson has said โthe joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.โ
If you want to find real joy, peace, purpose and meaning in life, then I suggest you listen to your heart.
Reach out to one of these indefatigable young men or young women today. They will help refocus your life.
#HearHim
Honour, Help, Obey
Are you drifting?
One of the common traps of life is ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
From time to time, all of us are likely to drift.
It is easy to get caught up in the currents of life, outside influences and being carried along with the crowds.
Perhaps you are stuck on autopilot, aimlessly sleepwalking through each and every day, tossed to and fro like a piece of driftwood floating on the seas?
Are you drifting?
Do you know that feeling?
Drift: โto move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over directionโ
Is this what you really want from life, simply to drift?
At some point, just like the driftwood, youโll be washed up on the shoreline, and may ask yourself, โhow did I get here, why am I here, where am I going?โ
Have you been washed up yet?
Is it time to take stock and find your purpose in life?
Are you looking for a light to help you navigate through the stormy waters of life?
Now What?
I recall at my fatherโs funeral, a male choir formed of sons, grandsons, and sons-in-law, sang for him his favourite song:
โBrightly beams our fatherโs mercy from his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Chorus
Let the lower lights be burning; send a gleam across the wave;
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue; you may save.
Dark the night of sin has settled; loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights along the shore.
Chorus
Trim your feeble lamp, my brother; some poor sailor, tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbour, in the darkness may be lost.
Chorus
Jesus Christ can help you to stop drifting through life.ย He says in John 8:12 โI am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of lifeโ
The gospel will act as an anchor and stop your drift.
Is it time to stop drifting?
What path are you following?
Do you remember the song ” I walked Today where Jesus Walked”?
Are you going nowhere?
Are you going nowhere?
1 year ago, on February 1st 2020, I took delivery of my new car and was excited about the journeys ahead. Yesterday, it was back in the garage for it’s first annual service. In my 20’s and 30’s I’d be regularly driving 40,000 miles plus per year. In my 40’s & 50’s that reduced to circa 15,000 miles per year. This year, I’ve barely driven 5,000 miles and most of those were done in the first 8 weeks of ownership, pre-Covid19. Occasionally, I’ll go for a short spin, but never very far. The car passed it’s annual 40 point health check with flying colours, with tyres too that are hardly worn.
Most of the year, the car has been parked up outside, going nowhere.
Yet, just under the bonnet of the car, there is a powerful finely tuned engine, in prime condition ready to roar into action.
Similarly, there may have been days over these last few months when you’ve felt like you’re going nowhere. If you were to take your 40 point annual service health check, would you pass with flying colours, or are you feeling a little worn out?
If we want to roar into action, then we need to look after ourselves.
– Go out for a little walk (spin)
– Connect with others, listen and support
– Give of yourself
– Set a goal
– Eat well
Then you will be going somewhere!
What holds your team together?
Evidence in the garden suggested the storm had been a rough one.
There was damage in the garden, including one of the ceramic pots which had been blown over and was broken into several pieces. My wife and I discussed our options. We determined to visit our local garden centre to purchase a replacement. However, we couldn’t settle on a new pot and instead a little later we decided to repair the broken pot and bought some glue instead. A few days later, the pot, showing its age a little, plus with some wear and tear, was repaired and functional once more, adding to the surroundings of the garden.
In a like manner, it struck me how powerful cohesion is and the importance of glue in many aspects of life, especially through this year. I considered my family, teams I’ve worked in through my career, then subsequently groups and organisations I have worked with in 2020. What is the glue, the cohesion, the bond that unites us, that keeps us sticking together and from falling apart? In life, we can choose – out with the old, in with the new or repair.
Unity, love, purpose, meaning, joy, happiness, a sense of belonging are all indicators of cohesive teams.
In your family, community, teams and organisations what is the glue that holds you together?
Life
In “A Tale of Two Cities” – Charles Dickens wrote these words to describe life in France and England in 1775, maybe they describe even better the conditions of our day.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.
It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
We had everything before us, we had nothing before us”
In our day, we are daily witnesses to a sweeping panorama into the depths of despair, then upwards to the glorious heights of beautiful acts of kindness that lift our spirits and souls once more.
For many of us, it is unlike any other time we have ever experienced before. Eventually however, I believe these challenges will pass.
Now is the time to consider – what is really vital? What really matters most? What do I really want? What is my purpose here on earth? What is the highest priority in my life?
Why not take some time today, to pause and reflect upon these simple questions. As you listen for that still small voice, reach out for the insights and inspiration. You may have to wait a while, but answers always come.