Growing up, I had big plans for my life. At first, I was going to be a singer, you know, a headliner. Bright lights, big stage, applauding fans. I envisioned being chauffeured into my tiny hometown in a stretch limo, proving all those people who said I would never amount to anything wrong!

When the singing career didn’t miraculously take off, I was heading for the world of the CEO’s. Getting my business degree, of course, I would work for a fortune 500 company and rise to the top quickly. I mean I am smart and sassy and well… we will stop there.

Imagine my disappointment when that didn’t work out as I planned either. Now in my mid-somethings, I can look back on my life and see where my priorities and my pursuits lied. They were with me, myself and I. I wanted my name in lights. I wanted to be a household name. I wanted power and prestige and fame and fortune. I certainly wasn’t pursuing anything that Paul is writing to Timothy about in our scripture today.

However, as I have grown with God I recognize the wisdom in this passage. The world is fleeting. And with it all the entrapments, including what I had sent my mind upon. Shifting my focus from earthly things to heavenly things, I now pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” My reward and the peace I have in my life are so much more than I could have ever imagined.