An eighty-five year old woman from the hill country of Kentucky said, "If I had my life to live over, I would dare to make more mistakes; be sillier and relax. I would take fewer things seriously; eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but fewer imaginary ones.."

The starting place for regaining life-balance is to take charge of your internal drives. You can rule your impulses only by being disciplined; you can balance your life and enjoy your success by adhering to Biblical principles. It is one thing to live with enthusiasm and a sense of urgency and quite another to be driven. Be cautious of any type of impulse, including "drivenness". Be careful not to do your work for the purpose of receiving the approval of others or to fulfill some unmet need in your life. Only in a personal relationship with God, through Christ Jesus, can you have your inner longings satisfied.

Here are some of the symptoms of a "driven" person:

1. A driven person is most often gratified only by accomplishments.
2. A driven person is preoccupied with the material symbols of accomplishment.
3. A driven person is usually caught in the uncontrolled pursuit of expanding their business.
4. A driven person tends to have a limited regard for personal integrity and the value of relationships.
5. A driven person often possesses limited or undeveloped people skills (high staff turnover rate).
6. A driven person tends to be highly competitive.
7. A driven person often has a volcanic force of anger, which can erupt anytime he or she senses opposition or disloyalty.
8. A driven person as an employer, feels that employees actually work for him or her and not for themselves, their families and life-goals.
9. A driven person is usually abnormally busy.
10. A driven person often forgets to pray, when things are going his or her way.

Well, are you "driven"? Where are you on life's journey? I've seen good people lose their health; their families; their faith and themselves chasing things … things that really didn't matter. The Bible tells us, "But, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (the things that really matter) He will add to our lives." Apparently, we have the option of choice.

Make Today Count,

Pastor Steve