We American’s, as a whole, are so blessed. Our land is vast and varied and as beautiful as any other. I, for one, haven’t seen nearly enough of it. Partly because I know I can and just assume I’ll make the time some day.  As I say that, after having lived nearly six decades that have flown by, it occurs to me that I’d better hurry up. I don’t know how many more days I’ll have. I’m hoping I have many and can not only travel to see the Grand Canyon, but can also the sail the great lakes and experience the colors in New England in the fall some year. 

You see, I didn’t realize I’d been taking the opportunity to visit all of those landmarks of our country for granted until I attended a celebration of life for a man who was not born in America this week. The man and his family had very little and he decided at an early age to come to this land of the free. That he ended up in South Dakota is story all its own and not mine to tell. But what I do want to tell is the fact that he arrived here with $27 in his pocket and died many years later a very wealthy man. 

From my standpoint having only met him briefly a handful of times, but watching from the outside for virtually my whole life, he is a man who lived his More. Before coming to this country, he knew little about this place called America, but God placed a desire in his heart to come here so he did. He didn’t let lack of money, the fact that he couldn’t speak the language or that he didn’t know anyone deter him. 

Once here, he got an education and worked hard. Very hard. And he saved. A lot. He truly was a self-made millionaire. But he didn’t keep it to himself. He became one of the biggest benefactors our little city has ever known. 

During the service to celebrate his life, a couple of people told the story about how, as a young man working hard to scrape enough money together to help support his family he approached a beggar who had nothing.  He gave the man all the money he had in his pocket; one penny. He then said a prayer asking God to allow him to be able to give more. God answered that prayer in a way that only God could. 

Without ever having had a conversation of more than a minute or two with him, I could tell that he was a man who fully lived in integrity with his values. Clearly he valued family, education, giving to others, and hard work. 

But what struck me the most as I listened to the many stories of this man, wasn’t what he had or what he did, but how much he loved. He clearly loved his family, but it was clear that he also loved this country maybe more than any other I’ve had privilege to meet.  

I’m sure its because he migrated here and took the opportunities that were offered that made him appreciate it so much. Unlike so many of us born here, he didn’t take any of it for granted. It made me think about how I could take a lesson from his life. How I value many of the same things he did, but haven’t always pursued those things with the single-minded determination that he clearly did. 

I realize that though I say I have integrity, in truth I don’t always live fully in self-integrity with some of the things I value.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, if I give you my word, I will do what I say. And that is how I’ve always looked at, and maybe held just a little pride in, my integrity. But what I’ve learned recently is that I haven’t always been integral to my promises to myself.  

There are certain areas of my life where I have carefully kept my desires for certain things deep in my heart. Because there was a conflict within me between two different desires, I never fully committed to reconciling those desires.  Although I’d studied the concept of “yes, and,” which is basically a way to create both conflicting desires in my life, I had never applied it to the part of me that wasn’t ready to give up some old habits that truly no longer served me.

Without going into a lot of detail about that, I wonder if you, too, may struggle with living in self-integrity.  Are there things that you would like to do, or maybe even feel that God is calling you to do, but you aren’t doing? 

Not all of us have a big calling like moving to a different country to start a new life. It may not even be something as drastic as starting a whole new career. But I’ll bet there is something you are feeling the call to do that you question or doubt. Or maybe not.  Maybe you are more like a good friend of mine in that you have a calling and you fulfill it beautifully and willingly.  I admire her and how she doesn’t hold back on her calling.  

She’s a newly retired elementary school teacher.  And I love how, in addition to her call to teach, she was also called to be the person who covered all the other teachers and the students in prayer at her school. Throughout at least part of her career, she lead short bible studies at work and if someone was injured or ill, she was on the ready to pray for the situation.  

I had the opportunity to visit with her at church this Sunday and was asking how she was feeling about not going back. My loved that she responded that she is praying, and in fact, had received requests for prayers from other teachers to pray, for the start of the school year this year.  

Now that is someone who takes their calling seriously.  She is clearly living her More in not just that one area of her life, but in many areas. She is so encouraging and supportive and anyone who is in her life knows that she deeply cares for people.  Especially our young people. And a major change in life like retirement is not going to change that.   

So what is your calling? Every one of us has one. Sometimes we need some help to do ours and sometimes we don’t.  Sometimes it is a really big thing and sometimes it is so tiny and noone even knows we are doing it. But it is that thing that brings us joy and makes us feel complete.  If you aren’t sure what yours is, I’m guessing life feels pretty pointless. It happens way too often and it can truly leave you feeling so very empty.   

That is why, as I mentioned last week, I am so excited that I have connections with so many people who are out to help others live their best life. To help others live their purpose and feel fulfilled. In fact, that I’ve decided I’d like to share those stories of the people who are courageously stepping into their calling with you.  

Some of them are old friends, some are new friends, others are people who I’ve yet to meet, but all of them have a message to share with the world.  By sharing their stories, I am prayerful that you will get a glimps of what your more is and will be inspired to step into it by hearing how others have done so.  

Honestly, sometimes we have things we need to get through before we can think about becoming our best self and some of my guests will be able to help with that, too.  I hope you will enjoy getting to know these people as much as I have, and if one of them feels like someone who can help you on your journey, I hope you will connect with them to learn if and how they can.  

You see, not everyone is ready to go after their dreams with the determination that the man I discussed earlier did just like not everyone waits until well into their 50s like I did.  We each have our own path and we each get to chose how and when we are gong to take that first step to fully live out our More.  My best advice is to not put it off too long.  God’s plans will not wait for you forever and the longer we delay taking action, the harder it will be to go for it. Having said that, if you are in the last stages of your life and you are still waiting for the perfect time to start making your dreams come true, don’t wait another minute.  Do it today!

Which brings me back to my self-integrity and my desire to travel and appreciate this

beautiful country we call home. It’s time. Just like it is time to do so many things I’ve promised myself I would do. 

And when life ends, as it will for each and every one of us, my prayer is that someone will say, as they did at the recent celebration of life, at both of your and my celebrations of life, “She (or he) truly did live a life well lived.”

Thank you again for reading this blog.  I pray you are inspired to go, be blessed, and to Live Your More!