Editing Our Lives

The rough draft is finished. To reach such a place is an amazing feeling. The rough draft was printed today, all 263 pages of it, and now, I sit tonight with the job of reading it, adding to it, taking away from it, and polishing it to make sure the message is clear. Such is the job of an author. The message has to be heard. The message has to be clear. The work is done when everything is said how it needs to be said and the audience can hear the truth of that message and hopefully, it resonates within them.

Today, you have a rough draft written in your life. Whether you are a teenager or a senior citizen, a rough draft of what you have been has been written. Because the Lord has given you today, you get the chance to edit that rough draft, to add to what has been written, and to take away that which you know doesn't belong.

So often, people live life as if there is no possibility of change. Sometimes, we live our lives without thinking about the message we are sending to other people. Here is the truth - we can make changes. The draft is there and it is up to us, and to the Lord, to rewrite that draft, adding the things of God that need to be added, while cutting out the things of the world that do not help to reinforce our message.

Here is what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. As he concludes his first letter to them, he instructs them, “Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 HCSB) Rewrite. Edit. Make the message of your life loud and clear by the words that are written on the pages of your life, the words written by the actions you take from this day forward.

We have all made mistakes. We have those chapters that we wish were never written because of the pain that we experienced, the pain that we caused, and the shame of what was. But remember, who you were yesterday is not who you are today. You have a rough draft today, one that can be changed if you are willing to make the changes that need to be made. As Paul said, hold on to the good things and get rid of the things that are eating away at your life and your message.

           

What is the message of your life and are people hearing that message clearly? We all have things that need to be edited out of our lives. There are the silent sins, the selfish desires, the idols that we set up in our lives, and the blatant things that others see that fail to lead them closer to God. The beauty is that you have a chance to clarify that message this very moment, and when your message is that Christ is Lord, He will help you to edit your life in a manner that is pleasing to Him.