Hello and welcome to episode 5 of Upfront and Undivided, our podcast.
Hi babe.
How are you?
Doing pretty well, how are you?
I'm good.
Good.
It's been a good day.
It has been a good day.
It's been a long weekend.
It's Christmas season.
It is a Christmas season.
Hey, Merry Christmas everybody.
Merry Christmas.
Happy holidays, happy Hanukkah.
I think we're finishing, is this the eighth day?
Yes, this final day of Hanukkah.
Of Hanukkah.
So happy Hanukkah for all of our friends that celebrate that.
Yes.
So yeah, I'm excited.
It's a good season.
Tomorrow is going to be 39.
Yes.
Today was 68.
It's Fahrenheit for us in the States.
Yeah, that's, I'm like, Gabriel was saying, where's Christmas and where's the cold and
I mean.
Winter's around the corner.
It's literally tomorrow.
Yes.
So what are we talking about, babe?
Okay, so here's episode five.
Content in today, potential for tomorrow.
Oh, come on.
You like that?
I do like that.
Yeah.
I didn't hear that until now.
You're welcome.
I like that.
So I like that because, so here's my scripture that I wanted to kind of bring to the forefront
of how a small person's coming.
Hello, please.
Hello.
Did you want to come say hi?
Okay, guys, so we promised.
Here's Sebastian.
That Sebastian could come say hello.
Hey, what's up?
Do you want to tell them about yourself, Sebastian?
Yeah.
Okay.
How old are you, Sebastian?
Six years old.
What grade are you in?
First.
First grade.
What do you want to be when you get up?
A scientist, actually an astronaut that would discover aliens.
That's cool.
I think that's epic.
Yeah.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Okay.
Is there anything you want to share with our audience?
Because what we're talking about today is we're talking about being content.
And potential.
Yeah, and the potential and potential.
So what does content mean?
Do you know?
Being patient when something isn't here yet.
Wow, buddy.
That works.
Thanks, bud.
I love that.
That's just my specialty.
Being patient when something isn't here yet.
All right.
Out of the mouth of babes, guys.
Yeah.
Okay, buddy.
Can you run back upstairs?
Go have fun.
All right.
Thanks for coming.
Love you, bud.
Bye, mom.
Bye, dad.
Okay.
I mean, we could just like end it right there.
I mean, pretty much.
Sincerely.
All right, guys.
So the scripture that came to me was Philippians 4.
Not that I speak from any personal need, for I have learned to be content and self-sufficient
through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy, regardless of
my circumstances.
I know how to get along and live humbly in difficult times, and I also know how to enjoy
abundance and live in prosperity.
In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing life, whether well-fed
or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.
Wow.
So let's be patient.
Let's be patient.
Wow.
Yeah.
Okay, babe.
You have to...
You have a lot on your mind.
I do have a lot on my mind for this one.
I want to hear what you have to say.
So I think what this comes from, because you had posted something the other day, and it
was shared from somebody, and it was talking about not just looking at tomorrow, but focusing
on what's today.
Right.
Because there are a lot of people that either getting into marriage or getting into a job
or even in school, they focus on what's the next step.
Right.
Like when you're in school, oh, when I'm in high school, it's going to be so much better.
Oh, when I'm in college, it's going to be so much better.
Right.
Oh, when I find a girlfriend, it's going to be great.
When I get married, and people don't spend enough time focusing on where they're at today.
What is that step you're at today?
Today we have two children.
We are married.
Yes.
We're in our mid-40s.
Yes.
We are content in our jobs.
And contentment doesn't mean settling.
Right.
Because there is a difference between content and settling.
Right.
And it's also not just accepting.
It's not striving for improvement because you can be content with where you're at and
still strive for improvement.
Absolutely.
Because today, in this day where we're at, we're content, say, with our finances or with
our fitness.
Yeah.
But yet we still take steps to improve our finances.
We take steps to go to the gym and improve our fitness and eat better.
Yes, be content in that phase that you're at today, that season that you're in.
And yes, strive for improvement.
Don't settle.
Yeah.
And that kind of goes along with the potential.
Yeah.
And it's kind of the same thing, but it's also different because there is potential
in tomorrow.
Yes.
And you strive for that improvement when you do realize that God has designed us for a
purpose.
Right.
The Holy Spirit has put that in us to strive for that greatness so that we can attain the
full potential of heaven in our lives.
That's right.
And so whether we know it or not, that seed has been planted in us.
Yeah.
And it's up to us to water it.
Yeah.
Through prayer, through seeking God's face, through reading the Word, through worship,
through conversation and building each other up.
Absolutely.
And encouraging our loved ones, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, strangers.
Right.
Walking this life positive waters that seed that is in us.
Right.
And so again, so that we, not only we can fulfill the full potential of heaven in our
lives, but so that we can water that seed and others and help them see that potential
in their lives.
Come on, babe.
Because it's in all of us.
That greatness, that God given greatness is in all of us.
Yes.
And who are we to deny that seed?
Yeah.
So yes, potential.
Because what I was also going to bring up was along with the contentment in the season
and people striving to look at what's next.
I feel like a lot of people do that with their partners or do that with their friends.
I see the potential in you, so I'm going to befriend or date or marry that person.
I'm not going after you.
I'm going to marry what you could be in the future.
And I think some people do that not realizing that that might not be the path that God has
that person on.
What if God has that person going down path B, but you see them going down path D and
that's really attractive.
And so you're like, oh my gosh, I'm going to marry that person.
And my life is going to be so wonderful and our kids are going to do this and we're going
to have this kind of a house.
And so you're marrying somebody that is either not going to happen or you're going to push
for that to happen and make such a burden on that other person, you could break them.
Well, I know that one of the things when you and I were courting early on, it was one of
those moments where I felt it drop in my spirit that said, if you try to change him talking
about you, you're going to destroy him because there were certain, I mean, there's all these
amazing qualities inside of you that yes, I saw all this potential, but it was like
the way I thought it needed to go as opposed to the way that God was wanting to mold you.
Because ultimately if we were doing it my way, I would have ended up just literally
wrecking everything that was good inside of you.
And I think too many times, even with friendships, children, we have these plans of grandeur
and yes, like, okay, so our daughter, Gabri, she wants to be a nurse, right?
And we are all for it.
And it's amazing because anybody that knows her goes, yup, I can see that just by who
she is, how she responds, her character, her mannerisms.
The thing is, is we have two different ways and our minds the way that it's going to come
about, right?
It's like, okay, babe, so here's some community college, here's, you know, get your two year
degree, start off this, blah, blah, blah.
You know, so here's mom and dad trying to, I'm going to make sure that you're going to
be financially sound, that this isn't going to put you in debt and break you.
And then she's like, okay, yup, I want to do that, but I ultimately want to do a four
year college.
And it's like, okay, okay.
You know, and it's like, okay, but God, what do you want?
Ultimately God, what do you want?
Because the reality is out of the three of us, we still have absolutely no clue.
And it could shift and change at any moment or with me, I'll go to me with my degree.
I was 27 when I went back to school, graduated at 17, 10 years later, I'm going back to
get my degree.
I'm the oldest person in my class, right?
But we don't know the twists and turns.
One of the things that in that post that you were talking about, that really hit me was,
and I'll post it again on our, our social media accounts, but it said the thing that
really popped out to me was happiness is a journey.
It's not a destination.
And if we think if I get that car, like you said, all of the things, if I, if I, when
I, when I, if I, we lose today.
And what happens in today and the enemy wants to steal that from us because it's like God
wants to put these muscles inside of us.
He knows what it's going to take for us to project into and to be amazing in the next
leg of our journey.
Yes.
You know, there's things that you and I've walked through and because we've walked through
it as opposed to God taking it away from us or God just kind of, Oh, I'm just going to,
we're just going to plop you over and move you around.
You know, it, it created something inside of us.
Our pastor today, when he was preaching, he's like, God doesn't take away the stuff.
He just doesn't leave us in, in the midst of it.
He walks with us through it.
And so it's, it's that knowing that it's not going to be a perfect looking picture, but
when you have someone that you're coming alongside, you're co-laboring with, you're saying, I
want to go on this journey with you.
You're always so sweet because like when I take Gabriel to go shopping or even when any
of us go do any kind of adventure, do you want to go on a journey with me?
And you always say, don't forget to enjoy the journey.
And that's even on our wall upstairs in our living room.
Enjoy the journey, enjoy the moments because it's the moments that make that.
That's that substance that it makes those memories.
It makes those muscles, you know, it's the resistance, even in the gym, it's the pushing
against the resistance that, that creates the strength.
And so when things get hard, you're looking at thinking that you're going to have a perfect
marriage, perfect kids, perfect life, perfect job, perfect church, perfect everything, perfect
all.
And the whole time it's like, no, you're not right.
But we have a perfect God that's going to come alongside us and he's going to show us
all of these amazing wonders in the midst of it.
And if we try to blow past them, if we don't enjoy the contentment of today, of being single
today, of not having children today, of even eating just ramen soup and not having a steak
dinner today, if, if, if we don't learn to appreciate those moments now, then we're never
going to appreciate them.
We're not going to appreciate them later either.
And also, you know, if we don't, I'm going to go back to the kind of back to the gym.
If we don't do those exercises and work on those muscles now, we can't be ready for tomorrow.
That's right.
You know, if, if we hadn't had let God and the Holy Spirit rearrange our lives before
we decided to start courting, we would not have been ready.
I absolutely agree.
You know, I mean, I know you had been in church a lot more than I had, you know, especially
growing up and before we got together, but it was, you know, it was, we had to have that,
that agreement with, with God to say, yes, I'm, I'm okay with you rearranging my life.
I'm okay with, with you downloading this into my, into my head and into my heart.
And I will shift my life for you, not knowing that, you know, especially for me, not knowing
that you were basically right around the corner.
Yeah.
You know, and it was like, not saying that God was moving little pieces together, but
if I wouldn't have been ready, our meeting, our first chance encounter wouldn't have happened.
That's right.
You know, that's right.
No, you're right.
And it's, and it's one of those where we have a good father.
We have an amazing father.
We have, you know, God is a good God and he wants nothing but good for you.
Okay.
So we're talking to each other, but we're talking to y'all.
God has nothing but good for you.
And a lot of times the reason why we see, you know, discontentment is because we, we
don't, if, if we say, God, I give you full permission.
Okay.
I give you full permission to take control.
I give you full permission to redirect my life.
I think you that you're going to weed out all of the people in my life and all of the
circumstances in this stuff.
You're going to even show me, you're going to give me wisdom on even how to do stuff
here.
You know, you're going to come with me to give me the courage to do it.
Right.
Yep.
So knowing those things, it's the discontentment comes when we have those preconceived ideas
of how we think it needs to be looking.
Yes.
And then we have these kind of imaginations of, oh, well it needs to be X, Y, Z. Oh, I
should be married by 23 or I should be having babies by no later than 32.
And it's like, listen guys, I had Sebastian at 39.
You hear me?
Like, like there is, there is no time limit.
No.
I mean, go to, go back to the Bible.
There's Sarah, was she 89?
99.
Wasn't she 99?
I don't, we're going to have to look at that.
So she's old.
Yeah.
Right.
Her body is barren.
Try to put lady.
Yes.
Right.
And then, you know, and then they're like, you're going to have a baby.
So it takes two of these, it takes two to have a baby.
And he's old too.
So I guess I sought all that to say, just wait on God, be patient with God.
Know that, know that his timing is always perfect.
It's not a cliche.
It's genuine.
He knows what you can handle.
He knows what's good for you in that season.
He knows what it's going to take to get you to succeed in everything that you've got.
He knows the people that are going to come alongside you and be a stepping stone and
not a stumbling block in your life.
And he knows what you're going to do in other people's lives.
You nailed it.
You said it wasn't just him watering stuff inside of us, but us watering things into
other people.
You know, again, back to our courtship.
God had restored such innocence inside of me when I said, the next time a guy kisses
me is when the pastor says, you may now kiss the bride.
God had restored my life in such a way because you and I were not doing things right.
We had no problems.
I mean, not with each other.
Not with each other, but like before each other.
And so had God not done something in my life, you wouldn't even have known what that looks
like.
Right.
You know?
God restored an innocence inside of you.
So when we stand up into a standard, when we live our lives in the place where God has
put us, then it helps raise other people up around us too.
So you know, we don't want to become discontent in these things.
We want to enjoy the journey.
Did you want to kind of call yourself out when the pastor looked at you when we started
dating, started recording?
And you know, again, my life had been changing so much because I wasn't Christian before
coming to church.
And now all of a sudden I was.
All of a sudden, talking about, I'm looking at the potential of this person of where they
could go.
And the pastor looked at you square in the eye, knowing all that you had been through
and said, okay, if Luke doesn't change beyond where he's at right now, if he is done growing
spiritually, what do you do?
And I said, I continue.
Yeah.
I continue.
I fell in love with who you were then, not who you were going to be today.
Or might be.
Or might be today.
You've got to have it settled inside of you.
You have to have it settled inside of you.
If this is as good as it gets with this person, then are you content with that?
Because if you are, then goodness, blessings, you know.
But if, again, if you're striving for a life that you think that it's supposed to look
like and God has maybe a completely different plan, or it's just not time yet, you can't
don't murmur, don't complain, don't start getting mouthy.
Because what's going to happen is you're going to uproot everything that's been planted.
And you're not going to see any fullness in your life at that point.
So do you want to wrap it up?
What's the takeaway today, babe?
I mean the takeaway, again, back to the back to the title, we need to be content in where
we are today.
We need to be that patience, like Sebastian said.
We need that patience in where we're at, where does God have us, and what does God want us
to work on today in ourselves, in those around us.
We need that contentment.
And once we have hold of that contentment, we can unleash the potential of tomorrow.
I agree.
Because once we have, once we hold those precious things today, tomorrow will blossom into the
promises of heaven.
That's right.
Tomorrow.
That's right.
That's it.
Yeah.
All right.
So once again, thanks for listening, guys.
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Have the best day, guys.
Enjoy.