"Living Your Hearts Desire"

Where have all the Daryls Gone?

This past Sunday my daughter and I had made our way to the shuttle following the morning service. This shuttle would take us to the parking lot that we had parked in about a quarter of a mile away. It's funny that we even took the shuttle because my daughter had said something earlier about walking back to the car when we had parked. She had enthusiastically said that we could always use the exercise. I remember thinking how the ninety degree temperatures would cause my dress shirt to adhere to my body by the time we made it back to the car. I just figured she would change her mind when we walked out of that auditorium that was always a little on the cold side.

When we walked out those doors that heat hit us in the face and my daughter wasted no time making her way straight to that bus. It turns out I was right and we were in for a treat. As we entered the shuttle bus following the service we had to make our way up a few steps and it seemed with each step we took that a burst of excited greetings loudly made its way into our ears. It was a young child's voice and yet it sounded with the confidence and vocabulary of an adult.

"Come right in! That's right! Pick a seat and sit right down!", I heard before I made it to the second step. Then I heard, "Hello, you all just sit anywhere you like!" and "I'm glad you came today!". I couldn't believe my ears when I saw the young boy sitting in the front seat of the shuttle! He couldn't have been more than five years old and sitting there moving his hands about as he talked like a professional speaker. He had amazingly been given the blessing of speech at such a young age! As I sat down and watched this young man greeting everyone that entered the shuttle bus, it reminded me of how easily we can make the difference in how someone else remembers us. This little boy had most definitely left a lasting memory in my and my daughters mind, as well as the rest of the people who entered the bus that day.

His mother told us that he had been pleading with her for some time to ride the shuttle bus. You see, she didn't need to ride the shuttle but had rode today so that he could finally have experienced his dream. I thought about how he may have thought this through many times and may have envisioned greeting everyone as they made their way on board. Maybe there was allot more to this than met the eye. Could he have been given the very desire and purpose in his spirit to encourage someone special today? Could it be that he was to encourage me?

When we finally made it to the place where we would all depart, I asked his name and he shook my hand and gladly thanked me for riding the shuttle and for coming to church today. He also told me to come back and ride again! His voice so full of expression that you had to agree with him, I told him I would and he thanked me again. That's when I told his mom, who sat across from him, that I wrote messages to encourage others and would love to use him as an example. She told me his name was Daryl and allowed me to take his picture. She said that he has always been that way with people and I thanked her so much for allowing me to share this story.
Daryl knew what his heart had told him to do and he wasn't worried about what anyone else thought! This reminded me of how Jesus loved the children and told his disciples once to let the children come to Him. As a matter of fact, children are so important that the word is found in 1,524 verses in the Bible. I thought that was very interesting since the words Jesus, love, faith and believe are in 1,585 verses all combined. There was something very special about the children for Jesus Christ to mention them this many times in His Word!

There was the child like faith of Joseph that carried him through his younger years as he was sold into slavery.

Then there was the child that brought the five loaves and the two fishes to the meeting where Jesus was to speak.

Why is it that the children seem to fulfill a purpose most anywhere that they happen to show up? They are in tune with the meaning of their life at a young age! Every young child can tell you exactly what they want to be if you ask them. How do you think they know this? Don't you believe that included with that incredible package that we call DNA there must have been something included that we just can't see; something called "purpose for this life".

I believe that their minds are not yet cluttered by the conception of those who think that they know what this child should become. This lack of clutter frees their activities, allowing their bodies to be used for the purpose they are given to fulfill in their lives! Daryl certainly didn't let anything stop him! He hadn't been cluttered with conformity and demands to become something other than himself. His mother seemed as surprised as we all were and I really thought that was even more impressive, that he was just acting naturally.

There is a passage that refers to the church of God as children and in the scriptures we find that Jesus many times refers to his followers as the children of God. There were also the children of Israel who were the decedents of Jacob. This passage is so good that I can't help but share it with you as I talk about Daryl and the blessing that he was to me.

1John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Yes, let us love "ergon", the Hebrew word meaning "toil, act, doing, work". Not only love "ergon" (doing) but "ergon aletheia" meaning in the Hebrew "doing truthfully". It doesn't get much clearer than that. Written for children we plainly see; "love others in doing everything you do truthfully". That is what I saw in Daryl that was so awesome!

I challenge you to do whatever you do with all truthfulness, not only truthfulness towards others but today I want you to be totally truthful with yourself!

Can you honestly say, without a moments hesitation that you are doing the things that you desire in your heart? Is there someone else in your life that dictates and controls the decisions you make? If you looked deep into your soul, would you find that young girl or that young boy calling out to the people on the bus, "Hey man! Come on in and get a seat! Thanks for coming today!". Instead you are sitting there silent and oppressed because you think it's too late to be the person that you were purposed to be. I want you to begin to think differently! It's never too late with God! God's purpose for your life can become reality at any moment when you decide to do His purpose and be truthful with yourself about the desires of your heart!

Remember this! In the eye of your creator, today is the very first day of the rest of your life! You have an eternity to live out your purpose if you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus; so what are you waiting for? Start living and join the Daryls of the world today! Let your light shine in all that you do! God loves you and wants you to be who you were meant to be!