I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. –1 Corinthians 9:26 (NLT)
Writers who create screenplays amaze me. I am astounded at the way they throw in symbolism, foreshadowing, or teasers throughout a movie that give you a deeper glimpse, but at the same time are so subtle, you often have to see the movie again before you catch everything. Among other things, scriptwriters use outlines, notes, brainstorms, drafts and redrafts in an attempt to make sure everything interconnects properly.
Every word a writer puts down on paper has purpose. There is no word or event or thought that is not carefully crafted. The writer goes to tremendous lengths to make sure everything is interwoven and perfect before he moves on. It makes me wonder, what if I were a scriptwriter? What if my life and my story were being taken down with each step I took? Each word and action captured and presented. I’ll tell you one thing, I would be a lot more cautious and thoughtful about what I said or did.
This is the point: our lives should be as thoughtful as a writer creating a screenplay. In every step, I should be running with purpose. In every step, I should be making sure I am an example for Christ and living a life that shines the light on Him. In every step, I should be thinking about the story of my life. It matters what I say. It matters what I do. I need to be purposeful in writing a script that glorifies God in everything I do. Instead, I often think about Him second or forget to pray before making decisions, thinking that I am the only one who cares about my script.
Each step we take, each decision we make needs to be thoughtful and purposeful, not haphazard or careless. God calls us to be disciplined and in training at all times for His kingdom. May it be that when we look back on the script of the lives we have created, we’ll look back satisfied in the knowledge that for God’s kingdom, our lives have been blockbusters.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What kind of script are you writing for your life?
2. What are ways in your life that you could be living with more purpose? How can you change this?
FURTHER READING:
Proverbs 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:12; Philippians 2:1-3