The Next Level

I have this app on my phone that's a word game. It gives you jumbled letters and you have a certain amount of time to guess all the words that can be made with those letters. At the end, it tells you what words you missed, and if there is a word you don't know, it guides you to a dictionary site that gives the meaning of the word. Kinda cool. But there's this one thing...even if you don't guess any of the rest of the words, if you guess the biggest word possible, you move to the next level on the next round.

Aren't we like that sometimes? We haven't mastered the little things, and yet we want to upgrade...now. We want to move to the next level but we are unprepared and ill-equipped to handle what the next level brings. We can't handle the expenses we currently have, the relationship we are in, the life we are living, and yet we want more. The solution is often not a change, but deeper commitment and attention to that which we think is inadequate. The job we hate...could it be that if we worked a little harder we would get more out of it? The partner we can't stand...could it be that if we paid more attention to him/her instead of focusing on our dissatisfaction that the sentiment would be reciprocated and our relationship would improve? We never have enough money...could we cut back on the weekends at the club, the shoes, the clothes, takeout, etc? Many of our problems are those we create ourselves, and the solutions we come up with sometimes lead to even more trouble than we had in the first place.

Take time to get to know who you are, what you want, and what you can handle. MASTER what you have on your plate right now before you reach for more. In the meantime, dream and pray for the strength and wisdom to get to the next level, and be prepared to wait. It may take a while. Yes, there is a place for ambition. We were created for greatness, but there is a process to go through and a price to be paid to reach it. In order to get what you want you have to be prepared to make an INVESTMENT. Life doesn't just give you what you want just because you want it. You have to work for it...EARN it. It's an investment in your life's equity.

Check out The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) , and check out the reward: "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (verse 23)

Be blessed!