YOU: FIRST PRIORITY

There once was a wealthy man who asked a great wise man, "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" The wise man replied, "obey the rules." The wealthy man answered a bit confused, "which one?" The wise man replied, "All of them. Then when you have done that, give up all your worldly riches and follow me." The wealthy man walked away sad, because he would not give up his wealth for eternal life.

You see, we live a world filled with good intentions, great material wealth and endless possibilities for physical pleasures. But we tend to get so caught up in what we "have" in the "here-and-now" that we forget about the future and where we may end up. Your actions today effect you and those you come in contact with as well as those who you do not. In other words, everything you do in this life-matters. 

Your choice of lifestyle directly effects others. It is all relative. We are all connected. No one person can do everything by him or herself. It takes more. This means focusing your strengths and abilities on your first priority-YOU. 

Let's break down the story a little further. I will try to keep it simple and not get preachy. 

 The wealthy man asked, "what GOOD THING must  I DO to get ETERNAL LIFE? That's deep! And only opens us up to ask more wow questions like...

A. Am I good ENOUGH?

B. Can I save MYSELF?

C. Where do I GO WHEN I DIE?

D. What do I still LACK?

 

The simplest way to summarize answers to these questions without getting too deep is: a person who had treasures in life may find it that much harder to "let go" because they won't see it as storing up their treasures in the afterlife. They may see it as just giving it all away and not getting much in return except an occasional pat on the back and a temporary sense of gratitude. But it's more than that. All that you have in this life is given to you temporarily-including your body. What is it exactly that you are holding onto?

It takes all of us, working together, sharing all the strengths and talents that we have, collectively, to make our one and only life abundant and more fulfilling for everyone. So the answer to question A is: A true and rewarding life is not about RELIGION, it is about RELATIONSHIP. It is not about MONEY, it is about ACTION. It is not about talking about how much you care, it is about sharing LOVE as much as you can, when you can. That is what makes you good enough.

When you implement all or part of Answer "A" you automatically jump start Answer "B". By building your relationships, taking positive action to share goodwill with others, you become more than just a FAN, you become a LEADER. It's one thing to sit in the stands and watch life happen. It's an entirely different experience and outcome when you jump in and actually take part in making life happen. 

In other words, you can't save yourself. It's going to take someone else coming along and choosing to help you in your time of need. You may have heard this said before, there are three kinds of people in this world, those who wonder what happened, those who watch what happened and those who make things happen. Which one are you?

Now for the tougher answer to "C." Where will you go? Well believe it or not, that is entirely up to you. For every person that lives, there is an opinion or a idea of what happens in the afterlife. Ancient civilizations to modern societies have agreed to disagree on every level of intellect that we simply just don't know what "really" happens when we die.

The three most commonly accepted answers are: 1. Nothingness (limbo) 2. Hell 3. Heaven. As for me, I choose Heaven. This leads to answer "D." We all lack something in our lives. For some, it is a person to love or be loved by. For others, it may be finding a spiritual center or a solid faith base that brings peace, wisdom and nourishment to your mind, body and soul. I personally believe that the one true Son of the Creator did really exist and He really did walk the earth, overcome death, was resurrected and now saves a place in Heaven for me and all those who choose to believe as I do. This is my perspective. Ultimately, you decide.

You Can Be

You have the power to be anyone you want to be from the inside out. You can be a leader and never serve in office. You can be a parent and never have any children. You can be a savior and never walk on water. You can be a hero and never leap a tall building in a single bound, because you have the power. You have the power to be a trusting son or loving daughter. You have the power to be faithful lover and dependable friend. You have the power to be an ethical person of principle and you have the power to be a believer in core values. You have the opportunity to share this power, everyday you live. You have the power to rule a kingdom simply by being the role model in your own home. Rules are not meant to be broken. They are meant to be rules. There is no such thing as an exception to the rule; otherwise it would not have been a rule in the first place. You have the ability to change the world without ever leaving your community. Just by being you. So today, choose to make a difference for yourself and the ones you touch along the way. Choose to be the best you can be for yourself and the ones you love.

De'Master A. Thomas