choices

Target Acquired: Aiming at the Wrong Goal

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Last year, I deliberately chose to get into a home-based business with the stated purpose of bringing in a little extra cash for my family.   My personal goal was to make a minimum purchase once a quarter to maintain active status and be available to supply products when people requested them.  Let the website do the majority of the work – I wasn’t going to hassle anybody.  I had a pretty laissez-faire attitude about the whole thing – no pressure, no stress, have fun.  Little did I know that my underlying desire was to prove that I could juggle more balls than I already had flying through the air.  Was I ever in for a lesson – God will show us what’s really in our hearts!

When the “carrots” of recognition and potential to increase my earnings were dangled in front of me, I started chasing them – hard.  I didn’t realize I was that competitive, because that was not the purpose I initially expressed before undertaking this venture.  When I saw my level of consistency recognized while I wasn’t even trying to gain acknowledgement or accolades, I began to think, “What could I accomplish if I actually put some concentrated effort into this thing?  I can really make it work for me!”  And the flesh took off…but in the process, I allowed someone else’s standard to become my own.  It became impossible for me to maintain.  And I had to admit that I wasn’t truly trusting God to be my Source.  I was trying to be my own waymaker…a major no-no!  By extricating myself from the business by the end of the year (when I finally saw the light of my true, ugly, impure motives), I wasn’t admitting defeat – I was confessing that I’d started out on a faulty premise and built on a shaky foundation.  Humbling?  Yes.  Less costly than continuing to charge until I ran smack into the wall?  Thank the Lord, yes.

Ask yourself, “Did someone else set this goal for me?”  If so, that makes for ill-constructed aspirations.  You’ll reach the finish line and you won’t even appreciate or enjoy the prize – because it’s what someone else wanted you to want.  Selah.

Are you currently championing something you don’t really believe in?  It’s not too late to ask God to redirect your trajectory…

“God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.”

(II Samuel 22:33)

“Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?”

(Job 22:2-3)

“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”

(Ecclesiastes 11:5)

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

(Isaiah 43:19)

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”

(Acts 2:28)

© Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Standard of Measure: Who Are You Trying to Keep Up With?

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Weariness of body, mind, and soul ensues when you’re running a race and competing with the wrong motive.  Adding a layer of self-deception to veil your true intentions just complicates matters and prolongs the arrival of an inevitable outcome.  Trust me, I know…

Are you racing yourself?  Trying to overcome something from your past?  What are you out to prove – or disprove?

Are you racing someone else?  How do you know what’s driving them?  If you surpass them, what will it benefit you?  Have you considered that they may not be an accurate measuring stick by which to gauge your own personal progress?

Will a temporary “win” really translate into a permanent loss?  Carry it out beyond the finish line…what does your “dream win” look, feel, taste, smell, and sound like?  Is it worth what you’re putting into it? 

Are you more stimulated by the “thrill of the chase” than the desire to attain your set objective?  What will you do once you achieve your perceived goal?  Will you be content and satisfied, or will you keep striving for an elusive and nebulous ambition?

God created each of us to be unique – we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  No need to be a cookie cutter impression when you’re designed to be an exclusively distinct original!  Just some thoughts to consider while counting the cost and reflecting where the bulk of your time, energy, and effort are being funneled….

“Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.”

(Ecclesiastes 4:4)

© Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart

An Empty Present: A Post-Holiday Reflection

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What an empty feeling to get the present you thought you wanted, only to discover that it doesn’t bring you fulfillment – or longer hair, whiter teeth, stronger muscles, a bigger bank account, greater prestige, or many of the empty promises we heard touted by advertisers in the weeks preceding the Christmas holidays.  Just reflect:  were your holidays celebrated as holy days?  Instead of resolving to do something you knew you wouldn’t do in the new year, did you consider asking God to show you what HE wanted from you in 2011?

I’ll be honest – I did overeat during the holidays a bit more than Weight Watchers would’ve allowed.  Nevertheless, I’m back on track, losing weight again (after several weeks of gaining!), being more disciplined, making healthier food choices, and getting back into my exercise routine.  But I’m grateful that I didn’t overspend.  Because I’ve been in that position before – and it hurts when the sparkle wears off.  Every action has a result.  The euphoria of having something shiny or new diminishes exponentially when you realize how much it’s going to cost you…every month…for several years.  And then you have to ask yourself:  was it worth it?

I believe there’s actually a correlation between overeating and overspending – in both instances, you think you don’t have to pay for it now.  But the big secret is this:  you will have to pay for it eventually!  And interest is mounting up significantly.  While excess fat that you don’t burn off accumulates on the hips (and other spots!), spending (or charging) what you don’t have today racks up credit card debt. 

By now, the bill cycles from Christmas decisions (and indecisions) are running and being delivered to mailboxes far and wide.  Though the specific day celebrated as Christmas has come and gone, it is still quite appropriate to ask your Creator for the right gift this year.  Troubled, anxious, worried, fretful?  What you really need is peace – that only comes from the Prince of Peace.  Puzzled, confused, wavering?  You need the Wonderful Counsellor.  Looking for direction and instruction?  The Mighty God and Everlasting Father will show you the way – for He is the Way.

Don’t bankrupt yourself – in the natural or in the spirit realm.  Nobody wants an empty present birthed out of an impulsive past that leads to a bleak future.  Choose life!  Make wise decisions!  Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving…taste and see.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

(Isaiah 9:6-7)

 

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

(II Corinthians 9:15)

© Copyright 2011 by Kayren J. Cathcart