Full of Purpose

"The quality of the astronaut corps is reflected in the fact that every time NASA says it's seeking twenty-five new astronauts, some three thousand candidates apply. Those selected for training are the best. Those selected for flight crews are the best of the best. The astronauts are a national resource and it was absolutely terrific to be back in that kind of atmosphere again, free of pettiness and filled with purpose." John Glen

I love that phrase: "free of pettiness and filled with purpose." In my ministry I have quoted it often to the people I work with to remind us that we are working for a purpose...not a paycheck...not the weekend...not to impress others.  So often it is pettiness that steals our time, saps our energy, robs our joy, and distracts us from the true focus of our life. In the past, I have found hiking to be helpful in focusing my heart and mind on the important things in life--like how to keep snickers candy bars from melting in the desert heat. Ok, that might not be so important, but you get the idea. What is your purpose? Rise above the pettiness and pursue it with passion.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things." Philippians 3:12-15