Relationships
As I begin 2008, I am seeking what God wants from me this year. I have a life story. God has a purpose for my life. There is a plot. There is a reason. I exist for reasons - many of them. As I start this year out, I am seeking what God wants from me for this year.

I thought it was going to be The Spirit. This would be the year of focusing on the Holy Spirit. Now, just 2 days into the year, I am feeling this year is going to be about relationships.

I have relationships in my life. My wife, my daughters, my co-workers, my friends, my hunting buddies, my fellow Rotary members, the folks I worship with at church, even my dog (OK that is a joke - but not really).

Life churns on and it is very easy to overlook these relationships. We easily take them for granted. My goal for 2008 is to be satisfied with the relationships I have and to do whatever I can daily to cultivate those relationships. God puts a lot of people into my path every single day. He gives me opportunities daily to love those in my circle. It is so easy to talk to someone and already be thinking of the next call. This year, I want to dig deep into each call, each visit, each lunch. To truly listen to what the other person is saying. In that, I will find opportunities to minister.

Over the holidays, I watched some of the Mel Gibson movie where he can suddenly know what every woman is thinking. He has a lot of fun with it for a while and then he begins to realize what is really going on the lives of the people around him. At one point, he sees a woman in his office and hears her thinking to herself, "I wonder if anyone will notice when I don't show up for work. At some point, they'll be saying 'I wonder where Alice is? Do you think someone should go to her house and check on her?' They'll all wonder why I did it." She was going to kill herself and she wondered if anyone would even notice she was gone.

Everyone we cross paths with has a story. A life story. Something makes these people tick. Something soothes them. Something scares them. Something haunts them from their childhood. They all have dreams. A lot of them are hurting. This year, I want to get to know their stories.

Stay tuned, I will keep you posted. Life is short and our relationships are gifts from God. He wants to see what we are going to do with the relationships He has given to us.

Soar!