Weekly Affirmation:

“The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance – and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

Weekly Wisdom

Success vs. Signficance
Each day, we entertain long-distance conversations with success while significance calls on the other line. Which do you put on hold? Which do you answer? Answering the call to significance is at the crux of your life calling.

Many people ask, “How do I know my calling?” Most people miss it because it doesn’t come in the manner in which they are expecting.

Your calling is NOT like this once-in-a-lifetime-now-I-have-hit-the-jackpot, prize-winning announcement that changes everything in an instant. Your calling is not something you receive at a certain point in your life. Your calling is already within you. It is an integral part of you, a part of your DNA – Destiny Now Activated. You do not get it, you grow it. The challenge is not acquiring it, the key is accessing it.

If you can begin to see your calling as something you grow, you create a new appreciation for the life you are designed to live out as opposed to look for. You already have it. It is time to harness it.

While we each have a unique calling, each of us has the same mandate – to have an impact within our circle of influence.

In today’s world, we look at achieving status as the ultimate benchmark of success. We end up equating status with success. That is the wrong way to look at significance. In the process of seeking to accomplish more, we often end up making more money, but see far less meaning. I would submit to you that you can easily make money, live in a mansion, and still miss the mandate of living a life of meaning.

Your calling is not as complicated as you might think. It is not intended to be a mystery to you. Calling is pretty simple. Calling is that thing within you that pulls the best out of you to unleash the best around you. Read that again. That is a definition I challenge you to reflect upon this week.

What you do is less important than who you are. HOW you do what you do is more important that WHAT you do. God is more concerned with your character than your career. Everything that you do should reflect the integrity of who you are. We develop a depth in our calling based upon how we act in the smallest of small areas of our lives – in how we see, speak to and treat others. Your ability to SHOWCASE a life of significance is a direct reflection of the relationship you SEEK and the time you SPEND in the Presence of God.

Cultivating significance is a matter of perspective, awareness, sensitivity and choice – choices that can start today! It is about how you respond and react to what you receive. You can reap real rewards when you reflect the fullness of your calling. The key is to seek significance, not success.

KEEP ME FOCUSED: Quick References for the Week:

• An honorable life is one that honors God.
• Calling is that thing within you that pulls the best out of you to unleash the best around you.
• You are significant to God. A life of significance requires that you understand the depth of your significance to the Kingdom.
• Everything God asks you to do is significant.
• Sizable significance is shown in taking small steps.
• What you do is less important than who you are. Character really does count.
• Obedience is more significant that sacrifice.
• Your ability to SHOWCASE a life of significance is a direct reflection of the relationship you SEEK and time you SPEND in the Presence of God.
• Acting with significance improves the things, people and circumstances around you

SUGGESTED SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS:

Ephesians 2:10
Proverbs 25:17
Luke 14:11
Colossians 3:17
Romans 12:1
John 12:26
2 Timothy 2:4

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Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. – Matthew 7:24

Time and time again, I get to learn that God is more concerned with trust than talent.

More committed to our character than our career.

And, more interested in obedience than sacrifice.

Because of our desire to get what we want when we want it, though, we naturally tend to rush the process and try to put God on our timeline. We set our expectations high, create our own schedule and start racing toward that finish line. Then when our great expectations aren’t met, we feel frustrated because we haven’t met our goals.

I want to tell you that there is something that God wants more than your speed, your hard work and your mighty effort.

God wants your TRUST. (My acronym for TRUST, if you haven’t heard it before, is Total Reliance Upon Spiritual Timing.)

Not easy, right?

That’s because we want to orchestrate.

We want to direct.

We want to control.

Truth is, however, that we simply don’t know what’s best for us. We certainly don’t have Heaven’s vantage point.

And if we’re not careful we can get in the way of God’s intended blessing for us.

Think about Noah. Noah was obedient and patient. These qualities protected him and preserved his legacy and family. He trusted God’s instruction even when others doubted him.

He took the time to build the ark. After the flood, he sent a raven and a dove to “test” the land to see if it was ready for them. Then he waited for a clear sign that it was time. When the dove returned with a branch, Noah knew that the place for his “feet” was not ready. He knew that water still covered the land.

What would have become of Noah and his family if he’d ignored this message and decided that it was the right time to step out?

Noah’s story is a perfect example of the 5 steps required in truly TRUSTing God.

1. Press Pause. I like to say that “patience is protection.” As a coach and catalyst who helps MOVE people into the action side of faith, I am used to doing, creating, and producing. Being more patient is not always easy for me. But in order to experience the brilliant plans God has for me, I know I have to let the Brilliant One lead me.

2. Ask God for Confirmation. Seek first the kingdom and ask for a clear picture of what God intends for you. God will send you messages. Just like Noah’s dove, you’ll get a phone call at the right moment, bump into the right person or suddenly see the right path appear. But you need to ask Him, not your girlfriends of Facebook buddies…  Even though I believe in seeking wise counsel, there is no substitute for talking directly to God about His plans for you and your life.

3. Pay Attention to Your Intuition. The nudges you receive are God’s inspirational messages to you. Create quiet time to pray and listen. If you get an idea out of the blue to call someone specific, call them. Learn to listen, especially in times of stress or anxiety. A few moments of rest, prayer and meditation always reconnect you to what God is trying to tell you.

4.  Prepare While You Wait. Waiting is not a passive act. Preparing enables you to be ready to “step out” when the timing is right. Keep working diligently where you are, enjoying life, serving God and reaching out to others while you wait.

5. TRUST. Remember, we’re talking about TOTAL reliance. Not just part of you. Stop trusting the wrong things—yourself, your experience, your intellect. You need to trust with your whole heart because miracles aren’t going to happen if you give God just a small piece of your trust.So… even when you are frustrated, remember that every detour, delay and speed bump in your life has been divinely orchestrated.

Remember, God knows the ideal timing for you to arrive at your destination. God is the one who created time and He is in control. You’re never behind when you trust Him, listen to Him and follow Him.

Tell me, where are YOU struggling with trusting God’s timing?

What lesson do you think God is trying to teach you about patience, spiritual intimacy, and preparation? Where do you get stuck?

Let me know below. I look forward to hearing from you.

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