No matter where you are in life, odds are you’re thinking about your future more than ever. Whether a student getting ready for graduation, a young manager plotting the next career move, or a parent seeking the best for your children, you’re making decisions today that will affect the rest of your life. And with each choice you make, you’re trying to create the best life possible for yourself and those you love. Throughout my life’s journey, there’s one thing I’ve come to understand clearly: Only God can help you live a truly extraordinary life.
When you place your hope in temporal things—money, social status, achievements, acceptance, or even the love of your family and friends—your foundation will inevitably crumble. Worldly comforts are no defense against the tumultuous storms that life often delivers. Your identity must be based on something greater than what the world offers if you’re to stand strong.
As the old saying goes, life is not about who you are; it’s about whose you are. Being able to answer this question is extremely important because it has essentially everything to do with your personal relationship with God and your future. Your challenge is to get to know Him and, in the process, get yourself out of the way so He can move in and through you. He has a distinct purpose for your life, and He wants you to understand that purpose. When you finally see how beloved you are and how great your calling is, you’ll sense a desire growing within you to live for Him.
And that’s the memo.
By Dr. Charles Stanley