Be All You Can Be

Do you every wonder where inspiration comes from?
Is it a seed planted long ago? What inspires you, what motivates you to act, what besides the alarm clock gets you out of bed in the morning or blankets your mind before you go to sleep?
Thoughts of what has been, what will be…

Inspiration can elude us and I’ll tell you why…
Inspiration is hard to come by when you are struggling to put food on the table, dealing with a bad relationship, trying to overcome an addiction or what ever this life throws at you.

At times feeling defeated in circumstances we cannot control, foresee or even want to deal with. The spouse who betrays you, the kid who rebels, the family always in a state of “want” and those friends that become a burden instead of a blessing.

Inspiration is hard to find when you’re in crisis mode; you know when everything is coming up thorns instead of roses. We have all been there in crisis mode…where the over the counter sleep aid becomes a crutch to good night’s sleep. Then I start wondering, is there more than just surviving?

I hate the ad campaign for the military …. Be all that you can be. Can we ever be all that we can be? If we get there are we happy? Is it satisfying to be all you can be? Sometimes I get stuck in the mud, the muck the mire of everyday living, for instance when I’m in the “Complain mode”, which usually accompanied by “ WOW, I didn’t know I had so many wrinkles”…or “I’m tired of hanging on by my finger nails,” mode, when I notice I could use a manicure…or my absolute favorite, “I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” mode, as I occupying my time cleaning around the sink basin usually with an old toothbrush…

How can I get inspiration or have time for a single thought that’s my own!
It can be a frustrating time, but there is hope!

I was reading the following passage and I had to stop. Maybe you have had a similar experience, when God smacks you in the forehead, or gently nudges you in the right direction; mostly He has to smack me.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
We continually remember you before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Inspired by the hope in Christ…
Not inspired by the ad on the TV, a talk show host or even the magazine article that made you cry. Inspired by a hope in Christ, not the miracle method, but a miracle man!

I had to stop and just thank the Lord for reminding me. My motivation in my daily life was to get through the day without thinking about it. Inspiration in Christ, what a concept, sometimes I think God reveals something to me, so I can say “It’s a good thing your God, and I’m not!” I’m sure most people are happy about that.

Laboring in love, laboring in love for the daily chores, even making a meal (even PB& J sandwiches) for my family is a labor in love. Working in faith, this is what I found, working through the toughest times in faith. FAITH, which can outlast loneliness, FAITH calming me when I’m being overwhelmed and with FAITH defeat any problem, yes with a faith that can move mountains. Inspired endurance that means enduring the craziness, enduring the heartache, enduring the every day mundane routines, but inspired by a hope in Jesus!!

In Second Timothy 4:7-8 It says “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day-and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

I say let’s fight the fight, be all that you can be, keep the faith. Life’s not a cake walk, but we can endure anything by having a hope in Jesus. As the Lord challenges me, I encourage all of you to be all that you can be.

Be all that you can be, with inspiration by the hope in Jesus. Be all that you can be, as you labor in love for your family and friends. Be all that you can be, enduring all things.

Be all that you can be with Christ! He can make all things new. He can restore you and He can bring beauty from ashes. He can move mountains. He can change your heart. He can heal a broken heart. He can bring joy in a sad situation. He can bring you hope when you feel hopeless. He can! All you have to do is believe in Him!!

Let’s go out and Be all we can be in Christ.