If you've ever visited the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga you've most likely been greeted by an escalator ride up to the starting point on the top level. During that ride, a number of video screens shows the formation of a river. From the first screen showing how a trickle becomes a small stream to the last screen near the top which shows a majestic, winding river, the progression never fails to impress. Just as a small drip forms a tiny trickle which ultimately forms a body of water that fuels our oceans and seas, the tiny trickle of a thought can ultimately fuel your legacy for a sea of future generations to come.
I recently read a devotion that spurred today's FTM Thought, and the part that stuck with me so much went something like this, "Thoughts lead to beliefs, which lead to habits, which lead to character, which leads to destiny, which leads to legacy." Think about that tiny trickle of melting snow that drips down and eventually forms a small stream. As different small streams flow into a creek, that creek eventually flows into a larger tributary, that funnels into a living river, and finally at the mouth of the river an expansive ocean of opportunity exists. Sounds much like the thought pattern listed above. What starts with just a tiny drip of a thought will in one way, positively or negatively, leave a legacy for posterity.
In Proverbs 23:7 we are reminded about the power of our thoughts, "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" KJV. This is so true, whatever we put into our minds and give a significant amount of our thought time becomes what we begin to believe. Watching only one "news" source such as FOX or CNN for a period of time will eventually taint the way you look at things either more conservatively or more liberally. This in turn becomes part of our belief system. If you are thinking a certain way and you don't provide yourself with a variety of sources of information, your belief system will begin to look very much like the source of what you spend your time thinking about. If we believe something we will begin to make it part of our daily walk, or in other words, a habit. Habits make us feel comfortable, we all like the familiarity of a habit because we know what to expect. In the case of habits in our personal makeup, once we have a set of habits that we live by our character is formed. Character is a predictable action or reaction to the situations we encounter along life's journey. As our character is set then our destiny becomes visible, we begin to understand how God wants to use us, and what we should do or how we should react in pretty much all setting. The footprint of our destiny will ultimately create the legacy we leave for our children's children.
So that brings us to the end of our Flat Tire time today, and also leaves us with an opportunity to consider what we want to spend our time thinking about possibly with a better understanding that what we spend our time thinking about ultimately trickles up or down in the shape of our beliefs, habits, character, destiny, and legacy. Question is, what do you currently spend your time thinking about, and is that going to support you in leaving a lasting legacy to your children, your siblings, your co-workers, or the world in which you live? Do you live out your day with anger, disbelief, doubt, fear, or hatred? What kind of legacy are you forming there? Is that really the world you want for your children's children? Are your thoughts centered around what you can usurp for your own personal satisfaction? Make more money, so I can buy more things, go more places, and move closer to the top of whatever the top is in your world. The more your time is spent thinking about how everything is going to impact you, the more your thoughts are going to trickle downhill. In Philippians 4:8 Paul exhorts us with this charge, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Your thoughts are yours, you own them and therefore you can choose to think about whatever you want to think about. Keep in mind your thoughts are yours, but as they trickle down or up to the point of leaving your legacy your thoughts will impact those you share life with today, tomorrow.
Coach Carter
No comments:
Post a Comment