Last night I had the pleasure of giving a talk to students from Young Life, a world-class youth organization for adolescents. This was my first time attending one of their meetings. I’m usually used to being up on a stage or in the front of a room when addressing people, but this talk was different. We were in someone’s living room so it had a more intimate feel with everyone so close together. The students were such a fun group, making me that much more excited to speak to them.
My main message was about giving glory to God in everything you do and motivating the students to give off their very best in every endeavor. I commended them on being a part of a group that focuses on developing their faith and told them “Birds of a feather, flock together.” If you want to grow in any aspect of your life you need to surround yourself with people who are doing the same thing as you. They will push you and demand more of you because you are on the same page and want the same things. The environment you are in says a lot about the influence you allow into your life and that will have an impact on your future.
While in conversation with a few students at the end we talked about the struggle of knowing your purpose. When you’re in school it’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day routine of going to school and following the set path of moving from grade to grade. But what about life outside of that? Instead of waiting on a sign or some mystical answer I believe we should ask ourselves what contribution we wish to make in the world? Once we’ve found the answer to that question, we should start working to make it happen. In doing that we will find our purpose. We are blessed with many talents and gifts, and if we take the time to search for them and develop them we can go far with that. A testimony is simply a story and every one has one to tell. Don’t be afraid to share yours, because there are tons of people eager to hear it.
Keep Thriving!