“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
— Luke 16:13

Recently I turned 52. 52! It’s a little surreal to think about that. It’s funny how age brings wisdom and understanding. Unfortunately, it often comes via mistakes, hurts, and scars. Many of my issues have flowed out of my natural flesh. I am an Enneagram type 3, which means I care deeply about what others think about me. I spent far too many years listening to the voices that do not represent the wisdom and truth of God. I have continually elevated the opinion of others to an unhealthy place.

This is really nothing less than slavery. I have allowed myself to be bound by the desires, demands, and whims of others. It’s a self-inflicted handicap that I so regret. With an innate (but fleshly) desire to be respected by the masses, it has been a constant battle to live my life to the “audience of one” that really matters. For the first 40 years of my life, I played to a much larger group of onlookers.

I recently attended my 30th class reunion and was struck once again by the amount of time, money, effort, and energy I spent trying to impress people that I would see twice in 30 years. It’s such an exercise in futility. Life is short; relationships are fleeting, but eternity is so long and so permanent. It’s simply a bad investment to focus on the temporal.

Once you realize this, you are ready to tune out the noise and turn up the direction, and affirmation, that God wants to give to each of His children. That’s me! A 52-year-old child who is prized and valued by Majesty. He alone sets my worth, and it’s ten times better than anything this world has to offer. Once I began to see it that way, I finally began to live. My advice to you: don’t wait so long. It’s truly a waste!