Everyone has suckers and refreshers in their lives.

You know you’ve been around a sucker when you are more tired, emotionally and spiritually drained and depleted after they leave. And here’s the thing about suckers: they have the capacity to undo the work of dozens of refreshers in your life. Even though 99 out of 100 encounters in the day were neutral to positive, one encounter with a sucker can wreck you for a good part of the day.

The thing about refreshers is that whenever you’ve spent time with them, they leave you better and refreshed as a result of being in their presence. They are gifts from God. Treasure them. Intentionally make time to get around them.

Most of the encounters we have with people will be neutral to positive. But there are bound to be suckers in everyone’s life. Those suckers will drain you. And the only ones who can help you get replenished are the refreshers.

May your life abound with refreshers, my friends.

“No. You may not eat cookies for breakfast.” 

“No.  You will go to school. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired.”

“No. You can’t stay up until midnight and play video games.”

This is called parenting. This is what adults do.

What is shocking is about Christian parents who are awesome at parenting their children about school, a balanced diet, and about healthy living is that they also say things like:

“I want my kids to make their own decision about church. I don’t want to force my faith on them.”

“We can’t go to church for a few months because Sara’s soccer games are all on Sundays.”

What are the children of Christian parents learning from this?

• School is important and therefore non-negotiable.
• Church, you go when you can and when you feel like it.
• Having a balanced diet and healthy life style is important to healthy living.
• Relationship with the Savior of the world? Totally optional.

As long as my kids live under my roof, they go to church. It’s not a choice.

Why? Because I’m their dad, and I want what’s best for them.

In fact, I want them to make their relationship with Jesus Christ their absolute priority so that their relationship with Jesus impacts everything else they do as a human being.

Why? Because I’m convinced they will miss out on God’s best should they miss this.

“I don’t know what God wants me to do.”

“What is God’s will for my life?”

Ever ask such questions? If you have, you’re not alone. This is one of the most frequently asked questions.

While I do not know what God’s will for your life is – that’s between God and you – I absolutely know what God wants you do.

Sounds pretty arrogant. I know. But, trust me. I know what God wants you to do.

Until God makes the particulars of his will for your life known, God wants you to:

• If you are married, absolutely love, adore, and be faithful to your spouse. No matter what else God’s will for your life is, if it doesn’t include you being loving and faithful to your spouse, that’s not God’s will.
• If you are single, stay faithful in your singleness. Whatever else God’s will may be, it will never include fornication.
• Be a Godly friend, neighbor, student, worker. Whatever else God’s will may be, it has to include this.

It just may be that you will discover God’s particulars for God’s will for your life as you pursue being a Godly husband/wife/son/daughter/neighbor/friend.

Get busy being Godly…and you just may find yourself right in the middle of God’s will!