Category: Spirituality

Spirituality

Your Life is a Great Story

Posted on by Derrick Engoy in Art, Life, Spirituality

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Everyone’s life is a great story waiting to be told.

There’s drama. There’s comedy. There’s tragedy. There’s romance. There’s a combination of these, like romantic comedies and tragic dramas. There’s dramatic romance novels and comedic tragedies. Whichever way you coin it, the screenplays to people’s lives are dying to be told.

Unfortunately, many of these stories will never reach its intended audience. These untold stories lay dormant for a number of reasons. One, of which, is the unworthiness many feel toward being counted as valuable. Many look at their lives as meaningless-boring textbooks, rather than the fully technicolored captivating epics that they are.

And, honestly, it has nothing to do with having low self-esteem. It’s more of the result of not having encouraging voices in one’s life, or the more accurate reality, choosing not to listen to the cheerleaders in our lives that we already have.

Yes, we all have cheerleaders. Unfortunately, their chants have a way of being drowned out by the various “boos” that we get from the seemingly opposing teams that we face.

The great Creator took careful time to fashion each of us and precisely crafted us with a specific purpose. He proved our worthiness by willingly stepping down from His throne, lived in our sinful context, and endured the cross so that we could be redeemed and restored.

Did He have to? No.

But He did.

Dirty sidewalks and ugly asphalt driveways are canvases waiting to be beautified. The solution: chalk. My boys have a way of bringing these blank canvases to life by, perhaps, uncovering the many stories that are waiting to be projected. The beauty lies behind the fact that sidewalks and driveways provide the platform for these wonderful-colorful stories to be unleashed. And, similarly, the blank canvases that are our lives await unlimited plots and inciting incidents to be penned.

We simply have to recognize our potential and allow God to unleash our dormant narrative.

Yes, you are wonderful. And, yes, you are worth more than you know.

Let your stories be heard.

Serving My City

Posted on by Derrick Engoy in Culture, Life, Spirituality

jury-duty

Yes…this is my day.

I sit, having the privilege of serving my city by doing jury duty, and I can’t help but think about how serving others is very important. And, yes, I do find jury duty to be an honor and, believe it or not, fulfilling. Sure, it’s arduous and inconvenient. Sure, you have to rearrange your schedules and, for many, take time off of work. And sure, for many, taking time off of work means not getting paid. And, yes, sitting in the jury pool is a pain, but actually serving on a jury panel is pretty awesome (I served on an attempted murder trial a few years back). You’re exposed to how the judicial system works and you’re given a better appreciation for how justice is served in our country. Contrary to how people feel, I believe the system is fair, in that, the verdict is left up to the defendants’ peers and not some racist mastermind sitting in a chamber isolated away making all of the decisions.

The people are given the huge honor, privilege, and responsibility to decide the outcome.

Having said that, serving others, in any way you can is huge. Whether it’s serving with eleven others to decide fairness in a trial or sweeping up the sidewalks of a tattered downtown street, when we humble ourselves and find ways to help for the overall good of a community, positive momentum can begin to develop. And, as we’re catalyze toward making a difference, our cities will begin to slowly see the amazing light that surrounds it or, at the very least, see the potential each city has at becoming a place where people can truly call it home.

What are your thoughts on serving? How are you currently serving others?

Let’s talk.