A couple weeks ago I heard Pastor Andy Stanley say, “I love going to meetings.”
My first thought was, “You gotta be kidding.”
I don’t love going to meetings. I don’t exactly hate them, but I’d just rather not go to them.
Andy was speaking at a conference with Craig Groeschel. The two of them were talking through their typical week. Andy said, “My favorite day of the week is Tuesday, because my Tuesdays are filled with meetings. From morning to evening.”
I would have never said that! Nor even thought that. My favorite day is any day without meetings.
Then Andy explained why he loves going to meetings. He said, “Meetings give me the opportunity to impact the future through the people and plans that are made at them.”
A New Perspective
Talk about an “aha” moment for me. Andy’s love for meetings is intrinsically connected to his mindset – which is focused on the future. He goes into meetings thinking, “What can we plan today that will have a positive impact tomorrow?”
Hmmmm If I were to approach meetings with that same mindset, would I actually love going to them? Or at least like them? I’m discovering the answer is yes.
As God would have it, the past couple weeks I’ve been reflecting on some Bible passages that tell us how important it is to have a future-focused mindset. Here’s one found in Colossians 3:1-4:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Where’s Your Focus?
When I read these verses, I see that God wants our hearts and minds to be focused upward and forward.
- He wants us to focus on heavenly things more than earthly things.
- He wants what we do today to be impacted by, and to make an impact on, others future.
A future-focused mindset will change how we think, and how we feel, and how we live today. Even in those meetings that I’m beginning to love to attend.
by Dave Gudgel
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