What do you see?

I woke up this morning with a barrage of things on my mind (what else is new). During prayer I was led to listen to a certain bible teaching where this statement exploded in my ears:

The flesh believes what it sees, but the Spirit sees what it believes.

Wow.
Our reality "is what it is" right? Your bank account may be low, your spouse may be acting up, your boss may be a miserable son of a gun! But our challenge is to connect with the Holy Spirit within us and believe what he says about our situation:

We are troubled on every side yet not distressed, we are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed. 2 Cor. 4:8-9 

Our minds have no idea, but the Spirit knows the outcome of all our situations. He reminds us in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. He has a bird's eye view of your beginning and your end, so he's not tripped up about the temporary problems at work or home. Let's stop believing what we see and start seeing instead what we believe.

What do you see?

But Why?

As the New Year approaches I know most of us will be contemplating our current place in life. Career,  Family... What can I do to have more joy every day? Well since Jesus is the only one who can give you real joy, (praise break: HAL-LE-LU-JAH!!), and we are all doing our best every day to be like him, what practical steps can we take to move upward?

This quote inspired me to write this post:

Are the actions you take significance driven or service driven?

In other words, is your motivation for the choices you make, an attempt to feel that you matter in this world or because you know you have something unique to give to others without expecting anything in return? 

 When I took the leap from corporate to becoming a florist it was motivated by lifestyle. My intentions were pure. I was using my creative gifts in service but my main reason for doing it was to have my own freedom at work, so I could proudly say I have my OWN business when asked that dreaded question at social events "what do you do?" I thought these things would make me feel successful.  Instead, I often lacked peace knowing that something was missing. Over the last year I've been led to a new career path with new motivation. It's a purpose that's been with me all along, but I was too caught up in being comfortable to see it. It's my mission and I will share it with you over the next couple of weeks.

 In the interim, while contemplating your next move please ask yourself.. Am I doing this to mainly serve myself or someone else?

The greatest among you will be your servant.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. ~Matthew 23: 11,12