The Significant Life

Who comes to mind when you think of greatness? Billy Graham. Nelson Mandela. Marie Curie. Martin Luther King Jr. Steve Jobs. Florence Nightingale. Reinhard Bonnke. Rosa Parks. Apostle Paul.

The measure of a significant life

You may not agree with the philosophies of some on the list but we can agree on one thing: they touched lives, made positive impact on society and some changed the course of history for good.

These men and women lived significant lives. They made choices others didn’t. They walked on paths others didn’t. In the end, they became noteworthy for their choices. That’s why we still draw inspiration from their lives and work.

Greatness is not a measure of the size of your substance but the quality of your character, service and value-add.

You cannot lead a significant life if you’re primarily consumed with the pursuit of self actualisation. God’s call on your life is beyond you.

You limit yourself from grasping the big picture because you are preoccupied with self, rather than God’s call and purpose on you, which is ALWAYS bigger than you.

You cannot act on what is not conceived. You can only pursue what you can see (in your mind).

The path to significance

You are today the product of what you did yesterday. And you will become tomorrow the outcome of today’s choices.

A life of significance is a call to embrace:

• Pain: When you resolve to live a life of significance, you sign up to embrace pain. Greatness does not nullify the reality of pain. But remember to trust the God who has called you. The path may be narrow but stay the course.
• Sacrifice: What are you willing to sacrifice today as you choose to live out your purpose? Greatness involves hard choices – they may hurt today but will pay tomorrow and beyond.
• Discipline: Indiscipline is one of the biggest threats to fulfilling God’s purpose for your life. Develop a consistent pattern of person discipline and you will go far – 1 Corinthians 9:27.
• Service: A significant life is one that is committed to adding value to others. Serve others with your gifts – 1 Peter 4:10.
• Character: Will your impact outlive you? Will your life have eternal consequence? Character makes the difference. Focus on growing deeper, not just wider.

As you fulfil purpose, develop your life on a deep foundation of truth and integrity. Build beyond the present and have an eye for eternity.

Photo credit: Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash.