"One Thing is for Sure, It Isn't About You"

"What is the meaning of life?" Even more importantly what is the meaning of YOUR life? In his book "Man's Search for Meaning", Viktor Frankl posed that very question to mankind. Frankl, a Holocaust concentration camp survivor, chillingly describes how men that lost hope while living under such traumatic conditions would just shut down and give up fighting to survive. Frankl himself almost reached that point several times during the years of mental and physical abuse, malnutrition, and adverse conditions he endured while imprisoned by the Nazis in World War II, yet Frankl said he had to hold himself accountable to the belief that he had a purpose to fulfill in life. To Viktor Frankl if he had given up on this concept, if he had lost the vision of his life having meaning, if he gave up and  died in that prison death camp his purpose in life would not be established or completed. He held on to the will to live because he knew that if he died before he accomplished his purpose in life, the lives of others would be impacted and the course of their lives would be altered forever. You see Viktor Frankl had an "AHA"moment like no other while he "existed" in the horrific conditions of Auschwitz, Frankl grasped the thought that one thing was for sure, your life is not about YOU!
     If Viktor Frankl had thought that his life had no meaning and that if he died in that prison camp it would not matter in any way I am certain he would never have survived. If he had not survived he obviously would never have written his book "Man's Search for Meaning" and he never would have impacted millions of people that have read his book and were inspired to find their meaning in life and then fulfill it. Frankl went on to speak about his experience and his epiphany of life having a purpose around the world motivating and inspiring people to search for their life's purpose. Frankl's message was very clear, your life's meaning is definitely not about you, it is all about how your life will impact other lives.
     Our church has just recently started a series entitled "A Purpose Driven Life" based on the book by Rick Warren, pastor and founder of Saddleback Church. One of the first things Warren emphasizes is that your life is not about you. I love this mindset and I want to pose the question to you today in our time together, "What is your purpose in life?" To me I believe we have multiple purposes and we fulfill one each day as we work, play, and live with the people we are to impact with our life's purpose. Problem is we have to first realize our life has a purpose, then we have to understand that we will impact the lives of those we live and interact with each day, so what type of impact we make is completely up to us. We can have a positive impact and fulfill our life's purpose, or we can have a negative impact on those same people and provide one more negative instance that they will have to overcome in their life to eventually fulfill their life's purpose. I personally do not want to be the wall in someone's life that they have to scale to reach their destiny, I want to be a bridge that provides a pathway to cross into that same destiny. I want to be a light that shines illuminating the pathway for as many people that I can share this light with in the days that I have been given to live.
     How can we be that bridge? How can we be that light each day? We have to consciously understand that every word we speak and every action we make will impact someone today. We will either build up or tear down, we will either inspire or we will create despair with our words and our actions. If we give up hope or we display a hopeless attitude we may at that same instance be dashing the hopes of a loved one on the rocks of pessimism and defeat. When we look at a situation and want to throw our hands up in disgust and frustration, God wants us to instead dig in and march forward confident that you can make a difference and by so doing you have already made a difference for the cause of perseverance and persistence.
     In life we will all face struggles, challenges, adversity, and affliction that is for certain. The question to be answered here is how will you handle these life events so that others will be impacted by your response in a positive manner. Are you going to quit and give up, or are you going to get up and stand up? As you ponder your answer just remember today's FTM subject, one thing is for sure, your life is not about you! In Colossians 3:23 Paul encourages us to remember that whatever you do, do it with all your heart because you are ultimately doing it to benefit God and thus
mankind. You have a purpose in this life you are living. Your life matters and it will change the course of the lives you cross during your lifetime. The question is will the change you instill move them closer to realizing and understanding their purpose or will your impact create an obstacle that was placed in their life that they must overcome to fulfill their destiny?
     Ask yourself these questions today, "What is my purpose in life at this very moment?"  "What am I doing to assure I am making a positive impact on those I encounter daily and those I happen to cross paths with each day?" "Will the world be a better place to live because of the outlook I share and the life I am living today?" Your life matters and one thing is for sure, your life isn't about YOU!
If you are not sure what your purpose in life is, or if you have been living your life without purpose then today is the best time possible to begin living life focused on what you can do to make the world you live in a better place to be. Choose to live your life fulfilling the purpose you were created to fulfill. Be the key not the lock! You are important and your life matters! Live it! Love it! and Leave it better than you found it!
Coach Carter