Meredith Griffin | Meredith Griffin

Check Yourself Before You Help Others

How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?
Matthew 7:4 NLT

Have you ever had the desire to tell someone about the ‘problem’ areas you think they need to deal with in their life, only to have them return the favor? If you have, then you know that it is the kind of experience that makes you think twice before you do such a thing again. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either, and here is why.

Jesus makes the above statement after telling his disciples that the judgement they use with others will be the judgment they are subject to themselves. We should take two things from that as we interact with others today.

First, the gospel of Christ is primarily meant to be a mirror through which we view and adjust our own lives. We should be concerned with whether we are living in a way making us worthy to be called Christ’s disciples, more than we are concerned to tell others what needs to be fixed in their lives. Our lives should be worth emulating to the point that others see how we are living and try to do the same.

Second, we should have empathy and grace when we are dealing with other people. Especially when we find ourselves in a position to help them in the areas where they are falling short. Why? Because God has shown grace and mercy toward us in our shortcomings, and we may desire someone else to treat us in a similar way. Today, if you encounter someone who has a ‘speck’ in their eye, use it as an opportunity to evaluate yourself before you offer your words of ‘help.’

Prayer: Lord, today help me treat others with the same grace that I have received from you, and want to receive from other people. Allow me to see myself as you see me, and be grateful for the love and grace you extend to me daily.

Worrying Doesn’t Add, It Only Subtracts

Uncategorized

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Matthew 6:27 NLT

Has worrying ever brought resolution to the matter you were concerned about? When we think of the myriad things we’ve worried about in our lives, our answer would have to be “no.” Yet, we can still find ourselves worrying incessantly over things.

Worry may seem like a benign activity, but worry actually produces results in our lives that are opposite those we desire. Constant worry can lead to anxiety and a host of related physical and life ailments. Fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, irritability, issues on the job, and problems in relationships, can all be the result of the anxiety caused by excessive worrying.

Jesus tells us not to worry about anything. Don’t worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear. He assures us that God knows everything we need, and because he loves us he will care for us. Today, instead of worrying, let us trust God’s love for us. Instead of worrying, let us seek God above all else, knowing that he will care for our every need.

Prayer: Lord, today let me walk assured of your love and care for me. Give me the power to overcome the anxiety that comes with not knowing how you will do what you will do. Let me rejoice in your love for me and excitedly share that love with others. Amen.

Keep Doing Good Even When You’re Tired

Devotional

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6:9 NLT

Has it ever felt like continuing to do what you know is right gets harder as time passes? This can be especially true when there is no sign of success to be seen, or no end in sight.

There was a time in ministry when I wasn’t as sure about God’s call as I’d once been. I’d been preaching and leading on staff of a local church for a number of years. While I enjoyed what I was doing, and saw fruit from the work, it wasn’t what I believed God had ultimately called me to do in ministry. I became so discouraged that I honestly wanted to quit. But it wasn’t about me, it was about the good work I was doing according to God’s plan. I didn’t quit, and a few years later I saw the future God had shown me from the beginning.

Paul reminds the Galatians, and us, that what we sow in life becomes the seed of what we plant. For that reason, he encourages us to continue to do good, even when we are tired or discouraged. That’s a great encouragement for us to keep pressing today! Keep being light to those who are around you. Keep sharing the love of Christ in word and deed. When we do good, we can expect to reap good in return.

Prayer: Lord, please grant me the patience to continue doing good, even when I am getting tired. Also, remind me of the blessing I am to others and the blessing you are to me. Amen.

That Work May Be Yours

Devotional

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Matthew 9:37-38

For a number of years I lamented the state of our local school board. “Someone needs to run for a seat on the school board and help change it” was a statement I’d often make. Eventually God, through a series of people and events, made it clear that I was the “someone.” Until then I’d never considered that maybe I was the person called to engage In that way. Maybe you can relate.

Too often we look around at the work needing to be done in the world and ask who is there who will do it? This verse reminds us that every one of Christ’s disciples are the laborers for the kingdom harvest. The harvest Christ speaks of is a harvest of souls into God’s kingdom, but that work begins when we engage with those around us.

We must stop asking who will pray for, serve, comfort, or share the truth and love of Christ with others. Instead we should pray for the equipping and accompanying boldness from the Spirit of God to become who God has created and called us to be. The time of your revealing is now. The world awaits your arrival.

Prayer: Lord, today show me the places I am called to go and be part of your work in the world.

Do These 3 Things When Your Life Feels Stuck

Blog, Life, Marriage, Productivity

Being stuck in life can feel a lot like being imprisoned. You can see, just beyond your reach, the life you know you’re supposed to live yet you cannot seem to make positive strides toward achieving that life. We’ve all been there. You may be there right now. Take heart in knowing that you are not alone, and there are some simple things you can do to make sure that being stuck doesn’t become your indefinite way of life.

Full transparency. I have been stuck more than once in my life. I’ve felt stuck professionally, in my marriage, multiple times in my business aspirations, and even in writing things like this article you’re reading now. Initially, I allowed being stuck to make me wonder if I was ever going to see the life I believe God-designed for me. In fact, I’d been stuck professionally for so long that I wondered if I’d even heard God’s calling correctly or was it just my own desire speaking to me. If you’ve been there then you know how this feels.

Did I give up? I didn’t, but there were several times when I wanted to quit. One thing that made the difference for me was the formula from three verses of Scripture that I’d read myriad times.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14

Sitting in a Roman jail, Paul’s experience of feeling imprisoned wasn’t figurative like ours. But even then he found a way to ensure that this wasn’t his permanent state of being. Here are the lessons we can learn from Paul.

Face the Truth About Where You Are

It’s hard to deny your locked up when you are literally in chains as Paul was in Rome. But sometimes we deny the reality of our current state, believing that it will help us out. It doesn’t. When I know where you are right now, you are able to plan where you are in relation to where you want to be. You are also able to figure out what actions are needed to move in the direction you desire. None of this can happen when you are denying the truth.

If your marriage is in a bad state, telling yourself that everything is lovely doesn’t help at all. If you are 30 pounds overweight with high cholesterol, denying the numbers on the scale or the results of your bloodwork are the wrong things to do. Instead, you need to recognize where you are right now acknowledging that this isn’t where you want to be.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.
Philippians 3:12a

Determine That This Isn’t Where You Will End

If you know where you are, and that it isn’t where God, or you, want to be, then it is easier to make a commitment that this is not the end. When I failed out of college following my freshman year (I was having way too much fun and doing too little work) I determined that my story wouldn’t end there. As I spent the next year working a job in retail, I rose daily realizing that there was a plan for me that included returning to school and completing my degree. Where I was wasn’t going to deter what I knew I was created for.

Trust me. If it worked for Paul, and it worked for me, it can work for you too. Where you are now, no matter how far from your desired end, doesn’t have to be permanent. It is up to you to develop that mindset, and commit to that truth.

But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Philippians 3:12b

Take a Single Action That Moves You Toward Your Goal

Sometimes when you are stuck, trying to get a whole plan for reengagement can seem daunting. So stop trying to get a whole plan. Instead, answer this question. What one thing can you do next that will move me closer to my goal. You don’t need to know or do everything, but just one thing. Think of it like a car stuck in a rut. All you need to do is rock the car loose of the rut and then you can begin moving forward again. All you need to do is take the one action that will get you moving positively toward your intended end, and then you can reengage or retool your plan from there.

So where are you stuck in lifeIs it your marriage? Is it your health? Is it your profession? Is it your business? Don’t deny the you’re stuck. Face it. Then determine that being stuck isn’t going to be your permanent state. Finally, determine to do just one thing to get yourself moving in the right direction. Maybe its just declaring, like Paul, that the past is the past and you’re forgetting everything that hasn’t worked. I can attest, personally, that these steps have worked for me in every area I’ve discussed. They can work for you too.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:13b-14

What’s holding you back from doing any of these three things? Are you willing to give these things a try if you’re stuck?

The World Needs You To Find Your Purpose

Blog, Life, Uncategorized

Imagine a world without lightbulbs. Imagine a world with airplanes or automobiles. Imagine a world without refrigeration. Imagine a world without Oreos! What if Edison, the Wright brothers, Oliver Evans, or Sam Porcello decided that these world-changing inventions weren’t worth the effort it would take to discover them. The world would be different. A lot different. The same is true about you and your purpose. The world is waiting, sometimes without knowing, for you to arrive knowing and fulfilling your purpose. Every person should be actively pursuing their life purpose, because the world needs and is waiting on your fruit.

I know just how difficult it can be to discover, and then, walk into your purpose with confidence. It took me some time, more than I sometimes care to acknowledge, to accept my purpose. That’s alright. I am now determined fulfill the purpose that is uniquely mine. Here are some things I think are important for each of us to remember as we journey to discover and actualize our purpose.

Created with a purpose

You were created with a purpose. Take a moment and let that sink into your innermost parts. You were created with a purpose. Every atom of your being was uniquely designed for something that is yours alone to do. While others may have the same general purpose as you, there will not be another person who will do it like you will do it. Why? Because there isn’t another person on the planet just like you. Too often we settle for following the path set before us by culture, society, parental expectations, etc., rather than determining to do everything in our power to live the life that we alone were created to live. As a result of this settling, we live beneath our unique calling. We try to find fulfillment in the things we can easily do, many of us successfully.

Its like using a cast iron frying pan to hammer a nail. It can be used for that purpose. In fact, you can call a cast iron frying pan a hammer and use it exclusively to hammer nails. But that isn’t what it was created to do. While it can be effective forever as a hammer, door stop, or tofu press, when you discover and use it for its intended purpose you wonder why you’d ever used it for anything else. The same is true for you. The sweet spot of our lives, that place where we seem to be doing the thing that makes our hearts sing, is connected to the fulfillment of our created purpose.

The seed of your purpose is already there

Whether you’ve discovered it or not, the seed of your purpose is inside of you. It’s there, waiting to be discovered and actualized. The all important first step for us is to determine that we want to discover our purpose, and are willing to do whatever is necessary to do so. If you’re not living out your purpose currently, or are unsure whether you are, at least take comfort in the knowledge that there is a seed inside of you waiting to be germinated. All you need do is make the mental, emotional, and intellectual effort to uncover and unleash its potential. Let me say again, the seed of your purpose has potential. In fact, it has unlimited potential to change the world.

The world needs what you have inside

When you’ve discovered, embraced, and are walking in the fulfillment of your unique purpose it benefits the world. The curiosity of Edison, the Wright brothers, and the others listed above benefitted more than just them, the world was the beneficiary. Fruit is never for the benefit of the tree, but for the environment the tree inhabits. In like manner, your purpose isn’t ultimately for you, but for those who come into contact with its fruits through you. Can you imagine a world void of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fulfilling his purpose? I can’t. We’d live in a less colorful world if there weren’t myriad people determined that the purpose seeded in them would take root and blossom. The world awaits the fruit that will grow as a result of you living out your purpose.

You don’t have to do this alone

It sounds like a lot, especially if you’re at the beginning of the journey to discover and live your purpose. But a seed doesn’t become a plant bearing fruit all by itself. It has help. It gets help from the birds that carry the seeds to the right location, the rain, sun, and soil, that nurture the seed to grow. We too have help in discovering and living our purpose. We weren’t meant to walk this journey alone. The best way to discover your purpose, overcome the obstacles that would hinder its development, and ensure that it continues to bear fruit is to have a community of support around you. Family, friends, faith communities, coaches and others know you well. They can see the things about us that are sometimes blind to us. The most profitable path to living consistently in your purpose is community.

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. ~ Unknown

The world is waiting. More specifically, someone is waiting on you and your purpose. They are waiting on the unique offering that you have for them. Your voice, your style, your life experiences all make the offering of your purpose to the world different from the thousands of others who may have a similar purpose. Dont make them wait any longer. Determine right now that you will not go another day without passionately pursuing your purpose. The journey may not be easy but, to you and those waiting, it will definitely be worth it.

Have you discovered your purpose? If so, what has the journey been for you? If not, what are some of the things holding you back from do so? I’d love to hear from you.