The festivities of the day have come to an end…the family are all asleep and I’m left reflecting as the clock strikes 12…Merry Christmas…Happy Birthday Jesus…
I’ve got so much to be thankful for. Naturally, anyone could sit back and look at where they wish things were better, but I’m so thankful for all of my blessings. The past few days I have been so cognizant of this temporal existence we call a lifespan. In the past year I have officiated several weddings and funerals, beginnings and ends… some in the same week. I so value that which I used to take for granted, Time and Relationships.
My prayer is that I would be the leader I would be proud to follow. That I would be the man my son will always be proud to call Dad. That I would be ever cognizant of my surroundings and in tune enough with them to effectively exhibit love and compassion to those who are hurting and in need. That wisdom and integrity would be my foundation and my life would be a sincere reflection of the love that I’m convinced God has for man yet few men exhibit toward each other. That I would be driven by a purpose greater than my own need for affirmation or egotistic fulfillment and would discern when I am getting in my own way of walking in the fulness of my destiny. That I would not settle for good enough when great is available to me. That i would live in such a way that my son never questions what it means to be a real man because he saw it exampled in his father and my wife never questions what it means to be loved because I expressed it toward her every day of her life. That my reputation would always be one of love, strength and compassion. That I would live in such a way that God would be proud to call me son and personal relationships would be proud to call me friend.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the vain pursuit game, and at times i’ve lost my way in that game…I pray my pursuit would be after the heart of God and rooted in the character that defines His nature…Love. Life is so short and we all want our lives to mean something but my prayer is not that it means something for my own feelings of personal fulfillment as much as the fulfillment of the purpose I was placed here for. That I make a marked difference in the lives of those I encounter everywhere I go and their lives are better because our paths crossed, that I see them through Your eyes and am not jaded by my own experiences or prejudices. To be another talking head in the midst of a crowd of voices is meaningless to me unless my voice reflects something greater than me. I don’t care to be another one of the “guys” in the club, distracted by the opinions of my peers…I just want to be who this world needs me to be…The man who God created me to be…Help me God to be a man after Your heart…