My Guiding Statement

I recently gave to my Career and Life Planning class an assignment to develop a 2-3 sentence paragraph that could be seen as their guiding statement. The purpose of this assignment was to help these college age students begin a process that would help them ultimately find the best career path possible. The answers were as varied as the students. Some focused on their faith and how that faith would be intertwined with all they were to do career wise. Others focused on wordy statements that had no direction but obviously sounded good. As I read each one, I could not help but ask questions that would challenge the statements. Teachers are supposed to do that, right? After all, employers certainly would ask questions that would challenge one's beliefs to see who would rise to the top in this competitive job market! I sound like an expert don't I? Being the teacher, I am the expert, well at least for this class. The expert does challenge one to think, right? The expert does ask good questions, right? I found myself looking in the mirror envisioning a super hero complete with cape saying with gusto, "I am Expert!" All of the sudden while my head was swelling with this new found "expertitis," I had this incredible,overwhelming feeling. Immediately I began to ask myself just when exactly I became the expert. How did this educated redneck from North Carolina become such a wealth of knowledge? Sure I have two Master's degrees, but my education certainly has been more than a bunch of books on my shelf. In a few months, five to be exact, I will turn 50 years old. Fifty years! I began to think about my own guiding statement. Has my guiding statement changed? Has it been fulfilled? Am I focused and is my guiding statement making a difference? Is it really guiding me? I have come the conclusion after almost 50 years of living on this earth, my guiding statement has theoretically remained the same. The truth of the matter, I have always held to the basic core beliefs since I was old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. In fact, since I realized my need for Christ at a very young age, in some form or fashion my guiding statement has remained intact. I may have used different words but they have the same meaning. My sentence structure may have even changed and it very well could change again. However, my core of my core is solid! It is indeed a work in progress! What is my guiding statement? Well, I am glad you asked! Here you go:
I am called to love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I am called to serve Him in everything I do in a way that will give Him honor and in a way that He will be glorified. If for whatever reason I am not doing this, I need to revaluate my heart, mind, soul and strength to determine what I have allowed to take His place, turn from it, and return to that which I have been called.
This statement has many parts in it that need to be broken down for further study. I will take the next several blogs to do just that. You will see that everything in my life stems from this statement. My relationships with my wife, family, and friends; my work ethic; my spiritually; my drive; and my total existence are impacted by my guiding statement! Stay tuned and come along this journey with me! Just maybe, it will help as you look at my guiding statement to define and perhaps refine yours! Let me know what you think!