Todays world is filled with wants. I want the latest IPhone, I want to take a vacation, I want to be Insta-famous, I want to be happy. Unfortunately all of these wants come with a price tag, both tangibly and intangibly. Everything has its price, I wonder if you are really willing to pay it?

I believe that when people decide what they want they come at it from a place of fear. Fear has a major part to play in most decisions. Fear of failure, fear of abandonment, you could even fear that you would have success. So many things to fear, anxiety is big business these days most people think a pill will do the trick, but in my experience those that struggle with anxiety will stlll feel the anxiety whether taking medication or not. This is addressing the symptom but not the root of what is causing anxiety and fear.

It is pretty easy to be out of balance, working 60 hours a week to support a lifestyle that maybe you really don’t want or need. What is truly important? When you are on your deathbed what are the types of things that you might regret. I believe its doubtful you will say I should have worked a little harder so I could have died with more possessions. News flash, you will take out of this world with what you came in it. Nothing. The extra hours you spent working to afford a winter home, when you could have been making time to exercise and live a healthier life. All the time you spent cleaning the house when you could have been making memories to leave a legacy with your loved ones, I think those are the types of things people may try to reconcile.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 NKJV

What if we looked at these things through a different lens? What if we took ourselves out of the process? Maybe all of this time you were thinking that someone was out to get you, or was judging you and they simply weren’t. What if your buddy didn’t care whether you had a fast car and what if your boss isn’t thinking you are lazy? Odds are, they don’t and aren’t even thinking about it. They are probably just trying to do the best they can too. I like to say that people don’t roll out of bed in the morning and decide that they would like to see how many people they can irritate today.

You can choose to look at things through the lens of love instead of fear. You can decide to come at it from a place of grace, mercy and kindness. Too much “What about me?” creates an unhealthy focus on yourself. Your pain is valid, your troubles are real, no one is trying to say they aren’t. What I am trying to say is that what you focus on is magnified in your mind. If you stopped thinking and start living you would make not only your life better, but the lives of people around you. When you can affect someone’s life in a positive and meaningful way it is better than any Iphone or day at the beach.

Can I ask you today to give grace to someone you don’t feel deserves it? I know its hard but its important, not only for them, but also for you. Sometimes the person you need to give grace to might just be you. If God took the time to knit you in your mothers womb knowing full well that some day as a human you would fall short and disappoint Him, but did it anyway because He loves you. You can also see the best in others and start to think with the “love lenses.” After all, Love really does conquer all.