Dents?

Hey everyone hope you are having a great day. Sorry I did not post this past week I had my family in town and was doing touristy stuff with them. I hope everything has been going well for each one of you. I have finally found a church down here that I truly grow in and am super excited about that. It has given me inspiration for more blogs and has made me consider doing more than once a week. So let's not waste anymore time and get right into it.

This blog is all about the past. I started to think about this blog when I was watching Cars 2 with my buddy Andy last weekend. Yes I do watch Cars, they are great movies. Well if you have ever seen the movie there is a scene when they take Mater (the tow truck) and are fitting him with disguises. They see all the dents he has and decide they need to remove them. Mater stops them in their tracks and proceeds to explain where each dent came from and how they are a part of who he is. This kids movie got me thinking about my life and my journey with God. There are may times throughout my life that I have made mistakes and I am sure that is the same with you. These mistakes are numerous different sins that I should have never committed but unfortunately I did. Many people, and I do this to, say we should forget about our past and move forward. I completely agree with that but with a stipulation. It is the past for a reason but also it is something we can learn from. Jesus Christ gave us a second chance so that we would not receive the punishment of hell for the mistakes that we made.

Some times we are so quick to forget about where we came from or who we are. You see this all the time with professional athletes. They come from broken neighborhoods and never having money and then all of a sudden they sign a multi million dollar contract to be in debt 5 years later because they forgot about where they came from and got spoiled by their new riches. Each one of us has parts of the past or experiences that we want to forget but they will always be a part of us. This movie helped to show me that we should look at what has put "dents" in us throughout our lives and learn from them. We should work to make sure that the specific dent does not occur again or get bigger but it is who we are.

Each one of us have gone through different experiences if it is the jobs we have held, the neighborhoods we grew up in, the lifestyle we choose, or the friends we surrounded ourselves with. It is important to share your "dents" with others so they can learn from the things that have shaped you. By telling others about your dents you allow yourself to be vulnerable and a part of that person's life. You never know what how that one experience could change something for someone else.

We all have had "dents" in our lives but they are part of who we are. Those dents might not be out favorite part of who we are but they are still a part of us. We need to show these "dents" and not try to cover them up. Show others the real you. Don't put up a mask just be you. The best news is Jesus Christ died on the cross for each one of us to knock those dents out. His love allowed each one of us to approach him on judgement day dent free. But for now let others see your weaknesses and flaws. Let them help you and allow them to show you there "dents". Having a dent is not a bad thing. It gives you an opportunity to tell a story and start a conversation. Maybe that conversation will allow someone to see God or maybe it will be as simple as letting them have a new friend. Whatever the case be proud of who you are and what has happened to you throughout your life.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Your last day?

So lately I have been thinking a lot about the way I live my life. I thought about the choices I make each day and how I live my life out around others. If I change who I am depending on who I am with or am I always the same person. That made me start looking into the question of if today was my last day would I be happy with who I was? If I died in my sleep tonight did I make a positive impact on the world?

This brings me back to my step cousin who passed away after a fight with Cancer. She left two young kids and her husband behind. It was a very tough time for all in my family even though she was new to my family. The anniversary of her death made me realize any of us could be gone tomorrow or get the news that our time here on earth is limited. It made me evaluate myself and start asking the question of would I be ok with the impact I made on the world today.

Everyday each one of us is faced with thousands of decisions some decisions small like what are we going to eat today to big decisions like what am I going to do with my life in the future. There are many choices that we have to make but I tell you right now every one of those decisions are important. You may not see what you choose to eat or choose to wear in the morning as something that is important but it is. Do you know just by the clothes you were you can change someones perspective on you. And I'm not saying by not wearing the "in" thing but just your choices. I see all the time people wearing shirts with inappropriate words on them. What do you think that says to others around you? I'm not saying go out and just wear shirts that have a cross on them or say God all over them but think about what your wearing and how that represents yourself and how it could influence others. Those are the little choices that we can make daily to change our lives and others.

Now there are many big choices we can make also. Would the way you have given back to the community and treated others be what you have always strived for? I notice it so many times everyone going along with the group. Some people are different from you but isn't that what makes us a community. If we were all the same we would have some serious problems. It is easy to go along with everyone else and I am guilty of that too but what about standing out from them. What holds us back from stepping up and being the person God asked us to be. Can you honestly say that a majority of the people you have touched in your life would miss you for the joy you brought to there life. For the way you always treated them and the kind of person you were. I know we all wish this would be true but we all have work to do. There is thousands of people that you will contact in your life, are you leaving a positive impact on each one of them?

As a salesman part of my job is building relationships with my clients. In my short time in sales I have probably sold to close to 200 people. It is my duty to make sure that they feel special and everyone in their group. Sometimes I have to go into work early or leave late, sometime I have to respond to emails from home or miss part of the games to make sure that happens. That is a reason I do love sales but it makes me think why don't I do that with every person I meet in my life. Why don't I take the extra second to hold the door, why don't I smile most of the time, and why don't I take that extra time to step out. This is something that I will be working on for the rest of my life. I need to do exactly what I do in my job and turn it into what I do in life.

I challenge each one of you this week to take that extra time and help them out. I push you to go out and make 5 people feel special this week. I pray that you can have a positive impact on every person you come into contact with even if maybe your political, sports team, or religious beliefs don't match up. Take that time and meet with others. Make everyone out there feel special and let them know if they ever needed anything you are right there for them. Take the time to show your love to someone else TODAY!

1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.