Life is like a tree it blooms or dies depending on how you feed it…
(벚꽃 -sounds like pop-corn- Chenon S. Korea Picture by Joy Seo.)

“Be careful that your giftings don’t take you higher than your character will keep you” – Pastor Bob Coy. I have been thinking about this statement for several days now. Why? Because…well, it is honestly not something we really consider as we pursue “greatness”. As I watch the Lindsay Lohans and Brittney Spears of the world, I am beginning to see that the pursuit of the “good life” must be inline with who we are. We all want to be remembered for something. We want to leave a legacy, our mark on the world. So we push forward and chase our dreams, but we never stop to think, “Is this dream that I am running so fervently toward the best thing for me?” Can my character sustain? At the end of the day when it is all said and done, will I be proud of the person I turned out to be? Dreams are meant to be chased. They are meant to give us hope and aspiration. They are meant to teach us how to knock down walls and hurdle obstacles. They are the most amazing achievements in the world when they are what we are MEANT to accomplish. But often times we aren’t chasing “our” dreams. No, we are going after “the” dream. A dream not of our creation, a dream not in our genetic make-up. Instead, we chase the dream that society tells us we should be chasing. The result? We lose ourselves in the process. Ever achieved your goal and still felt empty? Hollow? Maybe it wasn’t yours to pursue. Achieving, growing, and pursuing are all God-given desires, and His plan is to have you achieve, grow, and pursue…in such as way that your character will be able to keep you.

So what am I thankful for today? That my giftings are akin to my character.