Mark Twain is reputed to have once said: "The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why." How right he was! Few things are as important in life as discovering one’s true purpose for being here.
As stories so often speak louder than words, here is one that aptly illustrates the importance of knowing why one has been put here. According to James Montgomery Boice…
There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves.
The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other.
As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark."
Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."
Any way you look at it, "Hammerin’ Hank" knew his purpose. And he would not be distracted from it by the most cunning and determined of opponents.
The Bible is full of people discovering their purpose. Joseph found his in a prison cell in Egypt. Moses discovered his in a burning bush. David stumbled upon his in the valley of Elah where he saw a giant taunting God’s people. The Apostle Peter found his when he was challenged to become a fisher of men. The Paul discovered his on the Damascus road. Many more such examples could be cited.
Each of these and many more found their true purpose. To their credit, once they did, they embraced it and were not dissuaded from pursuing it.
And they are not meant to be alone. God has purpose for each and every one of us. As A Pastor, my purpose in life is to serve as an under-shepherd of God’s flock, nurturing and admonishing the Lords’ people in their spiritual and moral well-being. I will not be dissuaded form that task.
I hope you know what your purpose in life is. If not, I hope you will soon discover what that is. And once you discover it, I hope you will pursue it with passion. You will be glad you did. And the Kingdom of God will be richer for it.
SOURCES:
ORIGINAL STORY: J. M. Boice, Nehemiah: Learning to Lead (Fleming H. Revell, 1990), p. 38.
NOW AVAILABLE WIDELY ON THE INTERNET. See for instance: https://bible.org/illustration/yogi-berra-0.
SEE ALSO: http://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/the-day-hank-aaron-outwitted-yogi-berra/30qkYQHiAxapanoSvFZObK/. Here the essential elements of this story from the 1957 Major League Baseball World Series are verified.
As stories so often speak louder than words, here is one that aptly illustrates the importance of knowing why one has been put here. According to James Montgomery Boice…
There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves.
The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other.
As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark."
Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."
Any way you look at it, "Hammerin’ Hank" knew his purpose. And he would not be distracted from it by the most cunning and determined of opponents.
The Bible is full of people discovering their purpose. Joseph found his in a prison cell in Egypt. Moses discovered his in a burning bush. David stumbled upon his in the valley of Elah where he saw a giant taunting God’s people. The Apostle Peter found his when he was challenged to become a fisher of men. The Paul discovered his on the Damascus road. Many more such examples could be cited.
Each of these and many more found their true purpose. To their credit, once they did, they embraced it and were not dissuaded from pursuing it.
And they are not meant to be alone. God has purpose for each and every one of us. As A Pastor, my purpose in life is to serve as an under-shepherd of God’s flock, nurturing and admonishing the Lords’ people in their spiritual and moral well-being. I will not be dissuaded form that task.
I hope you know what your purpose in life is. If not, I hope you will soon discover what that is. And once you discover it, I hope you will pursue it with passion. You will be glad you did. And the Kingdom of God will be richer for it.
SOURCES:
ORIGINAL STORY: J. M. Boice, Nehemiah: Learning to Lead (Fleming H. Revell, 1990), p. 38.
NOW AVAILABLE WIDELY ON THE INTERNET. See for instance: https://bible.org/illustration/yogi-berra-0.
SEE ALSO: http://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/the-day-hank-aaron-outwitted-yogi-berra/30qkYQHiAxapanoSvFZObK/. Here the essential elements of this story from the 1957 Major League Baseball World Series are verified.