How many times have you heard someone make the comment, “I am the same person I have always been”? I am not sure exactly what they mean by that, but I cannot help but see that as an insult to themselves. To say, “I am the same person I have always been” is to say “I have never grown up” or “I am not any smarter now than I ever was” or “I just don’t give a crap about getting any better in any area of my life”.
I know many people reach a plateau and never really grow beyond a certain point. That seems sad to me, not something to brag about.
If you are the same person at 40 as you were at 20 you have wasted 20 years of your life. As we grow older we should be growing in other areas as well. Unless we are perfect, (and none of us are) we should always be growing.
The reason most people do not grow is that growth means change and sometimes change can be painful. There is no growth without change. We have to consistently be changing if we want to grow. That means we will not be the same person we have always been. When we grow, we become different. We change and become better.
If you want something you have never had, you will have to do something you have never done. That is the process of growth. If we just settle, then we will never reach our God-given potential. God is not done with you. So, do not settle. Keep growing. Keep learning. Keep stretching. Do whatever it takes to get from where you are to where you want to be.
I can remember being so shy, I would not look the cashier in the eye as I made a purchase. I hoped they would not talk to me so I would not have to speak. Thankfully, today I am not the same person I had always been.
I can remember a day when I hated school or any kind of academics. I had no desire to stretch myself in this area. Thankfully, today I am not the same person I had always been.
Before I got married, I would preach and teach often on marriage and relationships. After I got married I stopped! I realized I was clueless about marriage and relationships. I was married for almost 15 years before I felt mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared to teach on marriage and relationships again. It has been a brutal learning process for me; but I have learned from experience, books, audio programs, classes, and especially from other married couples who were much better at this marriage thing than I was. As I have learned, I have become a much better husband, dad, and teacher. Thankfully, today I am not the same person I had always been.
You can change! You can grow! But not if you are satisfied being the same person you have always been.
God is not done with you…so, never settle, live with enthusiasm, and turn the world upside down… Here we go!
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Tommy Lanham is a dynamic, award-winning speaker who has been training individuals and organizations to reach their God-given potential for 25 years. With a unique blend of Ziglar motivation and ragamuffin faith, Tommy delivers powerful, life changing messages filled with humor, hope, and enthusiasm.
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Often times we wait for everything to be just right before we take action. That is like waiting for all the traffic lights to turn green before you drive to your destination. Get in the car and drive. If you must temporally stop along the way, then stop for a short period and then go.
You are the person who is willing to join the top 10% of people who invest in their personal growth and development. You do not stop there, you are a part of the 1% who actually put into action what you learn. You do not just read blogs, books, and go to seminars to learn. You do all that stuff and more to be the best version of you!
About a year ago I wrote a blog about how I went from a 6th-grade flunky who always struggled academically to a student that excelled in a Master’s program with a 4.0 GPA. Someone made the comment that the school must not have been very good if someone who always struggled academically was able to do so well. I think his insinuation was that it was not a “real” Masters from a “real” school.
How did that picture change?
I surrounded myself with a positive environment.
When I was 4 years old, I lived on Vermont Street in northern Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati. My parents had discussed moving back to Keavy, in the London-Corbin area of Kentucky where they grew up. One day I helped them make that decision.
My mom took me and my sister to the church where she had gone to church before moving away. My grandparents were still going there at the time. It was there at this small church called Locust Grove Christian Church in Keavy, Kentucky that I began to learn about a man named Jesus. I may not have ever received consistent teaching about Jesus if I had not lit Barbie’s hair on fire. Hmm…
After a year and a half of searching, I finally went back into local church ministry. By this time, my wife and I had two kids and I was able to stay home and invest more time with my kids than I could have with Upside Down Ministries. I thought, “I could do this for the rest of my life!” But God had different plans.
After seven years of local church ministry, God called me into what I am doing now – helping individuals, churches and other organizations climb to their God-given potential through coaching, leading, instructing and motivating them to believe that with God’s help they can make the climb. I did eventually get my Master’s. Although, at this point, it was not in Urban Ministry. It was in Life Coaching.
Many people know what altitude of an airplane refers to: the measurement of how high a plane is above the ground or sea level. However, it is not as commonly known what the attitude of an airplane refers to. The attitude of an airplane is the tilt of the plane in relation to the wind and the ground.
The same is true for us. Our attitude determines our altitude. Our attitude determines where and how high we go in life. As you climb to your God-given potential remember the significance of your attitude. It determines how high you can climb, the peacefulness in your life, and even the ability to help avoid tragedy.
problems. We will still have problems, but with the right attitude, we can better handle those problems. When a plane experiences turbulence, often they will adjust their attitude to climb to a higher altitude where they can experience a smoother ride.
Be intentional! Do not sit around waiting for your ship to come in. If you want that ship, then swim out and get it. Stop waiting for it to come in. If you just sit and wait for it, somebody else will swim out to the ship you want and then you will just sit and complain about how lucky they were. I have discovered that the harder I work the luckier I become.
We find different people throughout the Bible who followed their God-given, specific purpose. Abraham became the father of a nation just like God called him to do. Abraham was the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. Yes, that Israel. The Israel that became a nation through the line of Abraham. David became the nation of Israel’s second king. Acts 13:36, says; “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep” (NIV). “Fell asleep” is the Bible’s nice way of saying he died. David fulfilled God’s purpose for him while on this earth.
Peter fulfilled his purpose in being a leader in the early church. Paul fulfilled his purpose of being an apostle to the Gentiles (those who were not Jewish). There are numerous examples of people in the Bible following their God-given, specific purpose.
I believe John 10:10 gives us two specific purpose statements. Jesus is speaking in this verse and he says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV). The first is the purpose statement of Satan. The reason for his existence is to steal, kill, and destroy everything that is good in your life and especially your hope of eternal life. Jesus’ whole purpose for existing is to give you life and to give it to the full. The King James Version words it this way, “Life more abundantly”. The Message says, “so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of”.
Character
If you noticed, those five areas spell the word NICHE. What is your niche? What are your natural abilities, inspirational gifts, character, heart, and experiences? Once you make a “careful exploration” of these five areas, you will have a better idea of “who you are and the work you have been given”. Then you will better understand what your God-given, specific purpose may be!
In our last blog, we discussed our first purpose – to know, love, and follow Jesus. We must start there. “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for” (Ephesians 1:11, The Message). We cannot fully understand and fulfill our specific purpose in life until we fulfill our first purpose, which is to know, love, and follow Jesus.
Ship 1 – Worship
The only way we can fully discover our specific purpose in life is to be in Christ. Our first purpose is to come to know, love, and follow Jesus. It is only in him “that we find out who we are and what we are living for.”
Tommy Lanham 