I read somewhere recently that sometime around 40 years old, something happens on the inside of many of men. They begin to evaluate their life and there is a deep desire to make a difference in the lives of the people around them. As many of you know, I am 40 years old and I know this is the case in my life.
There comes a time in many lives where we sit back and wonder what mark we have made on earth. For some that might mean being the best mom they could. For others it might mean being the best friend they could. For me? Well, I don't know the complete answer yet. Part of what that means to me is being the best dad I can. As many of you know I have three really great children and they are certainly a blessing. But yet, I know that with blessing comes responsibility. It's my responsibility to make sure they have a house to live in, food on the table, and clothes on their back. It's also my responsibility to make sure they go to school and get a good education. Now by the grace of God, I have done this so far. That should make me a good dad and I could sit back and feel like I've made my mark. But as a dad, I recently got a true revelation of my real responsibility to train them up in the ways of the Lord and to be/do all the intangible things. Because of that, I have recently read several books on how to be a true Godly man in front of my children. If I can impart this to them, I will certainly have made a mark on the world because they can carry this forward.
But while being a great dad is very important, it will not be enough to satisfy me. I want to do something that will say I was here many years after I depart for Heaven. So what else should I do? I want to be a great companion. There is a song by a group called the Crabb Family called Ellsworth. This particular song is about an elderly woman who has started to mentally slip to the point where she doesn't know a lot about her day to day activities any more. But if you bring up her husband, she clearly remembers how much she loved him and how much he loved her. It's similar to a movie called "The Notebook." Yes, I've seen the movie. I want to make that type of mark on a woman's life. I want to be so good to her that 50 years from now, if I'm gone before her she still remembers how much I loved her. I want to make a difference in her life. I think I may be at the beginning of that opportunity now and I am really enjoying it. There is something very special about a good woman. Did you know Solomon said he looked through 1000 people and found a real man but he had never found a real woman. Well I guess I am more blessed than Solomon.
Where else can I make a difference? I can make a difference in the lives of the people who work for me. On of the greatest privileges in my life is to have the opportunity to be part of God blessing other people with good jobs. This is certainly a place where I can make my mark in the world. I can grow my company to the place where I can continue to put people to work and help them feed their families. Will this make me a lot of money in the process? Yes. Is money my motivation for growing a business? In part I suppose it is but the though of making a difference in some one's life is a bigger motivation. I recently added a full time employee to our company and I can tell you it was a good feeling knowing that I gave someone else an opportunity to succeed.
I guess I am certainly pleased with the difference I have made so far in the people around me. And guess what. Many of them have made a big difference in my life. In the last several weeks I have become very content and my heart has filled to overflowing because of one person in particular.
But I still want to be able to touch more people's lives in a positive way. As I am sure most of you know, that's the reason for this blog. Thank you for reading them and I hope they do make a positive difference in your lives. Let me stop for a second and say that setting out to make a difference in other people's lives may seem like a strange thing to do. After all, aren't we supposed to make sure that we are happy? Well the answer to that question is partially yes but let me tell you what happens when you set out to make a difference in someone else. You will get happy in the process. Giving unselfishly to others will produce more happiness in your life than you could have ever imagined.
So let me challenge you with this. If you are younger than me or older the time to start making a difference is now. Start with those closest to you and then expand your horizons. Before you know it, you might be touching people literally around the world. You can even do it from a small place like Fort Worth, Texas.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
There comes a time in many lives where we sit back and wonder what mark we have made on earth. For some that might mean being the best mom they could. For others it might mean being the best friend they could. For me? Well, I don't know the complete answer yet. Part of what that means to me is being the best dad I can. As many of you know I have three really great children and they are certainly a blessing. But yet, I know that with blessing comes responsibility. It's my responsibility to make sure they have a house to live in, food on the table, and clothes on their back. It's also my responsibility to make sure they go to school and get a good education. Now by the grace of God, I have done this so far. That should make me a good dad and I could sit back and feel like I've made my mark. But as a dad, I recently got a true revelation of my real responsibility to train them up in the ways of the Lord and to be/do all the intangible things. Because of that, I have recently read several books on how to be a true Godly man in front of my children. If I can impart this to them, I will certainly have made a mark on the world because they can carry this forward.
But while being a great dad is very important, it will not be enough to satisfy me. I want to do something that will say I was here many years after I depart for Heaven. So what else should I do? I want to be a great companion. There is a song by a group called the Crabb Family called Ellsworth. This particular song is about an elderly woman who has started to mentally slip to the point where she doesn't know a lot about her day to day activities any more. But if you bring up her husband, she clearly remembers how much she loved him and how much he loved her. It's similar to a movie called "The Notebook." Yes, I've seen the movie. I want to make that type of mark on a woman's life. I want to be so good to her that 50 years from now, if I'm gone before her she still remembers how much I loved her. I want to make a difference in her life. I think I may be at the beginning of that opportunity now and I am really enjoying it. There is something very special about a good woman. Did you know Solomon said he looked through 1000 people and found a real man but he had never found a real woman. Well I guess I am more blessed than Solomon.
Where else can I make a difference? I can make a difference in the lives of the people who work for me. On of the greatest privileges in my life is to have the opportunity to be part of God blessing other people with good jobs. This is certainly a place where I can make my mark in the world. I can grow my company to the place where I can continue to put people to work and help them feed their families. Will this make me a lot of money in the process? Yes. Is money my motivation for growing a business? In part I suppose it is but the though of making a difference in some one's life is a bigger motivation. I recently added a full time employee to our company and I can tell you it was a good feeling knowing that I gave someone else an opportunity to succeed.
I guess I am certainly pleased with the difference I have made so far in the people around me. And guess what. Many of them have made a big difference in my life. In the last several weeks I have become very content and my heart has filled to overflowing because of one person in particular.
But I still want to be able to touch more people's lives in a positive way. As I am sure most of you know, that's the reason for this blog. Thank you for reading them and I hope they do make a positive difference in your lives. Let me stop for a second and say that setting out to make a difference in other people's lives may seem like a strange thing to do. After all, aren't we supposed to make sure that we are happy? Well the answer to that question is partially yes but let me tell you what happens when you set out to make a difference in someone else. You will get happy in the process. Giving unselfishly to others will produce more happiness in your life than you could have ever imagined.
So let me challenge you with this. If you are younger than me or older the time to start making a difference is now. Start with those closest to you and then expand your horizons. Before you know it, you might be touching people literally around the world. You can even do it from a small place like Fort Worth, Texas.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
I am confused. Wasn't Solomon the one who said be satisfied with the wife of thy youth--compared with the comment you made about his not finding a real woman... What translation was that and what is his defintion of a real woman???
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThis came from Ecclesiastes 7:28. I believe the book was written by Solomon. He said, "Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man amoung a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found." KJV.
The NIV says, While I was still searching but not finding - I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.
I'm not sure what his definition is.
The Minion