Question of the week: Do you base who you are on what you do or is what you do based on who you are?
One of my wife’s favorite singing groups is the Celtic Women so last Wednesday night I had the privilege to take her to see them in Portland, Oregon. I wasn’t as big of a fan as I am now. They were flawless, phenomenal, and very entertaining. I was most impressed by the violinist. She wore a dazzling floor length dress while she danced about the stage like a prancing deer. She spun in circles across the stage without missing a note. When she was finished the crowd rose to their feet with an applause.
As we left the coliseum my wife and I were in awe at the amazing talent of the Celtic Women. On the drive home my mind went back to the violinist and I made the comment, “What if she had not shared her God given talents with everyone in that room? So many people would have missed out on the blessing of her gift”.
This experience caused me to reflect on my own unique abilities and how many times I was challenged to give up. I recall the difficulties I faced with the first time I wrote a letter with my mouth, the day I started college, the first stroke of my brush on a canvas, to the first speech I gave (all of which were extremely difficult for me to accomplish). There was plenty of times along the way that I was tempted to give up but this experience reminded me that I am unique as are all of you. Yes, there are better violinists and motivational speakers but we all have one thing in common, we are all unique!
I challenge you today to ask the question: Who am I? What is the legacy I want to leave behind? And what do I need to do to continue it or achieve it? I believe that you were fearfully and wonderfully designed for a purpose. Your life counts. You are a unique piece in the puzzle of life. My prayer for you is that you will forget about failures of the past, stop comparing yourself to others, release the fears you have to step out of your comfort zone, and be all you can be.
Let’s go change the world.