How to Get Everything You Want in Life, Part III

I spend a lot of time reflecting on my life, not dwelling, but taking glimpses in the past to see what worked and what did not. Not only and I trying to avoid my past mistakes, but I am also looking for how the lessons I have learned can be a blessing to someone else. When I see someone headed down a familiar path, I cannot just stand by and watch them step in front of an oncoming train of heartache and disappointment. I feel I have to say or do something to get his or her attention. Now, I have learned that the person will not always listen to me, which is fine, hurtful, but fine. Sometimes in life we have to learn lessons for ourselves in order for them to stick. I mean, honestly, I don’t always listen to my warnings, so I can be mad when someone else ignores me. Nevertheless, I hope this blog will continue to help me and will help someone else who is trying to stay on the path to his or her dreams because I have discovered how to get everything you want in life.

Step One: Offer honor and respect where it’s due

Step Two: Believe in God’s Word

Step Three: Esteem others higher than yourself

Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Philippians 2:3-4 MSG

Nearly everything in this world tells us to look out for number one, ourselves, before anyone else. We are constantly bombarded with messages that if you don’t look out for you no one else will. Sure, these are not the only messages out there. There are messages of love, hope and helping hands, but are these the messages that are getting the most attention? I would submit that they are not. Just scroll through your Twitter timeline or Facebook newsfeed on any given day and you will see one, if not many tweets and posts about how you should trust no one. Or, everyone is out to get you. Or, you better do whatever you have to do to get ahead because no one has your back.

While I agree that there are very untrustworthy people in the world, our trust should not be in man anyway. Our hope and trust should be in God. And, when we hope and trust in God, we cannot subscribe to the theory that we must scratch and claw our way to the top with total disregard for anyone who gets stepped on along the way. Rather God wants us to stop thinking about ourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

As a writer and songwriter, I have tried to ask many people for help. I have sought out people who have walked the path that I am trying to take to ask for advice, or to listen to my music, or to point me in the right direction in the pursuit of my dreams. It was my thought process that any Christian writer or artist would be more than willing to take a few moments to help someone with the desire to uplift the Kingdom. In reality, I rarely receive a response. And, that is fine because my confidence is not in mankind; just because someone is a Christian, it does not mean that they are not looking at you as competition. Eventually, God will lead me to someone who believes in the principle of forgetting yourself long enough to lend a helping hand.

Furthermore, knowing what it feels like to be ignored or rejected by people for whose craft I have a great deal of respect, teaches me to never treat anyone else that way; to put others ahead of myself. This is the reason I write what is on my heart to share and I offer it to the world for free. It is not mine to begin with; it all belongs to God, and, as such, if I can share what He gives me in an effort to help others succeed, then I am reaching my goal.  Would it be nice to be a New York Times best-selling author or a Grammy-winning, platinum-selling songwriter? Absolutely! Do I desire those things? You bet I do, but not at the expense of forgetting my fellow brothers and sisters because I am too wrapped up in myself. It is more important to me to share God’s gifts than to attain a title (I am sure I will be tested on this later).

When it comes to the things you desire, are you willing to spare any cost to get them? Does it matter if you lose friends? Does it matter if you lose respect? Does it matter if you make those who respect you feel that they are not worth your time? God doesn’t give us dreams, gifts and talents, so we can hoard worldly riches and close the doors behind us. He blesses us to be a blessing to others, even if it means we help them get everything we want before we get it. Who’s timing is best? Yours or God’s?

Tomorrow, I will finish this discussion of how to get everything you want in life, so stay tuned…Ms. EV