Shells

Today's lesson from Rob Bell was one of my favorites. It was called "Shells." It was about purpose. The focus began on Jesus' ministry here on earth. Because Jesus was human, he could not be all things to all people; he could not be in all places, all the time. So Jesus had choices to make, and he had priorities to keep in mind, just like we do. He didn't stay in one place (and neither did Paul, by the way) even though there was more work to be done in every place He visited. His destination of the cross was always on His mind and directed His thoughts and actions throughout His time here on earth.

So the lesson for us is living with purpose, making good choices, focusing on God's best plan for us. One thing Rob said that was really good was that if you know what you're going to say yes to, that enables you to say no to a lot of other stuff. If you are too busy and have a hard time saying no, you would be best served by taking stock and deciding what is going to take priority in your life and focus on that. Then you have a good reason to say no to all the other stuff that can get you off track. And another good thought from Rob was that the enemy of the "best" is often not the "worst", but the "good." We can get caught up in doing all kinds of good things, but they may not be the best for us.

Now this may change in different seasons of your life. I know when I was raising my kids, my focus was on them...meeting their needs, developing their character, giving them lots of life experiences. So I made choices based on that priority in my life. Now I make other choices because my kids are grown.

Rob closed with a story about one of his boys. They were at the ocean and picking up shells, when they saw a starfish floating out in the water. One boy went after it, and they urged him on. But he went just a short way and turned back, kind of agitated. They sent him back out again, but he returned, crying out that he couldn't do it. When they asked him why, he said, "My hands are full of shells."

What are your hands full of? Are you sure this is God's best for you? Take stock. Make changes. Go for what is best.