What do you have to do?

What do you have to do?

This question came up in the message this morning.  It's not a bad thing, like I have to do this or that and ugh...that sucks.  But more, I know deep down that there is something that I'm supposed to do.  There are things that drive me and things I deeply care about and when I'm not able to pursue these "have to" things, I get really depressed.

I know that most people wouldn't consider me "old" by any stretch of the imagination...except maybe for the kiddos I work with!  To them, I'm ancient!  But another birthday is coming up this month and I'm frustrated again.  What have I really accomplished in my time here on earth?  Or how about just in the last year?  Nothing really noteworthy or anything.  And perhaps, I will never be famous or widely remembered, but I want my life to matter!

So what do I have to do?  Sitting down and making a list, nothing was really earth-shattering, but they are still things that drive me.

This comes at a time where I was going back through my Leadership Advance stuff and going through my strengths from the Strength Finders assessment and my DISC assessment results.  I had forgotten several things I had learned from the weekend.

So here is my list:

• music/worship
• following Christ
• learning
• listening
• speaking/writing
• teaching
• loving
• overcoming
• leading

How could I accomplish those things?

Music/worship:

• Spending time practicing and song-writing daily
• Spending time in worship, even if it's just alone in my room by myself
• Taking time to receive feedback from talented individuals so I can grow in my skills

Following Christ:

• It isn't easy, but spending time in His word...daily
• Praying without ceasing 
• Asking God for more of Him instead of asking for more of His stuff...

Learning:

• Continuing to pursue topics that interest me and learning everything I can about them through reading, online tutorials, classes, and hands-on experience

Listening:

• Being quiet and listening for God's voice.  We are surrounded by so much noise each day.  I like constant noise.  Silence is uncomfortable, but what have I missed by not actively listening for God's voice?

Speaking/writing:

• Taking time to talk openly about my faith and what God is doing in my life
• Writing and reflecting on what's going on in my life and what I see God doing

Teaching:

• Teaching others and sharing my knowledge with those who desire to learn about topics that I know a lot about

Loving:

• Actively checking in with those that I care about.  Seeing what I could be praying for and finding ways to show them love.
• Praying for the ability to love those who hate me and go out of their way to bring me down.  Praying that they would know Christ's love.

Overcoming:

• Running to God when I'm overwhelmed with all the thoughts that swirl around in my mind
• Breaking through the barriers in front of me so that I can influence the world.  Trusting that God will open the right doors for me, even when everything seems impossible.

Leading:

• Developing the talents I've been blessed with and using them to lead others
• So much focus has gone into trying to strengthen my weaknesses so that I can be a "better" person.  But God has given me what I need.  Everyone has been blessed with different talents, gifts, and abilities...so why try to be something I'm not?