Are You Living Life Backwards?

TheCypressTimes.com ^ | 02/19/2010 | Carol Round

[Patriot1259]

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NIV)

For many years, I lived life backwards. Motivated by envy, I wanted what others had and I didn’t. Caught up in what the world said I needed to be happy, I was lost until I came to understand the truth of what God has to offer His children.

[tx_eggman]

RE YOU LIVING LIFE BACKWARDS? Carol Round
Published 02/19/2010 - 6:56 a.m. CST

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NIV)

For many years, I lived life backwards. Motivated by envy, I wanted what others had and I didn’t. Caught up in what the world said I needed to be happy, I was lost until I came to understand the truth of what God has to offer His children.

Because I have been there, I can relate when someone expresses unhappiness with his or her life. However, I have learned that when you are willing do what God asks, you will experience a life of fulfillment that money cannot buy. I didn’t learn this lesson overnight or by osmosis. I had to live it.

I like this quote by Margaret Young, a popular singer and comedienne in the United States in the 1920s: “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.”

The first step for me was learning who I am in Christ. When I defined myself by other people’s expectations, I had no clue who I really was. Therefore, I spent much of my life pleasing others and what I thought I wanted in life did not line up with God’s Word. When I look back at where I was and where I am now, I am truly amazed at God’s goodness. While I have been a wordsmith since I was old enough to pick up a pen, I never envisioned that I would use my gift to glorify Him. However, when I trusted God’s direction, He began to help me live life forward and to live it for Him.

Religious leader, Henry B. Eyring, once said, “Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others.”

My friend, Sharon, loves to share her testimony of living in a fog for too many years. Her history includes childhood abuse and an alcoholic husband. However, God has turned her mess into a message.

Recently, during an afterschool church program, she had decorated the classroom for Valentine’s Day. Excited, the children asked why she had done so much for them. When she replied, “It’s a ministry for me,” she also asked them if they knew what ministry was.

One wise seven-year-old responded, “It’s like a little door opens in your heart and lets you know that you love someone and you want to serve them.”

I think this youngster has it figured out. Do you?