Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday April 10, 2008

For some reason the image of one of my early school teachers ran across my mind and whenever I think of her, Washington Irving also comes to mind, for sure as I live this particular teacher was the female incarnation of Ichabod Crane. Scary thought isn't it.

As this process wound its way through my oatmeal of a brain, a statement from the pen of Washington Irving crept into my mind via the email of Austin Bennett. I think Ichabod was a distant relative of Austin's.

Washington Irving wrote:

"Great minds have great purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them."

Pretty good stuff coming from Sleepy Hollow.

Do you know the difference between a grand purpose and a nice wish? It is really simple. You clearly identify the purpose, see it in your mind and heart and are doing something that moves you closer to the consummation of the purpose. Wishing is just that, really an idol thought with no plan to pull the wish down from the land of dreams. Often a driving purpose begins with just a wish which then becomes a dream and then reality. I heard a very successful man say years ago that "Men who never build castles in the air, never build castles anywhere." Purpose gets the castle down on the earth and moves in. Wishing make the foolish attempt to live in the castle while it is still in the air. They used to have places for these kinds of people. The Halls of Congress still harbors some of these people on both sides of the aisle. Along this line you may recall the old adage, "Neurotics build castles in the air, Psychotics live in castles in the air and Psychiatrists collect the rent." Okay, so I am being overwhelmed by vast expanses of white which need black marks to sell.

Irving's statement is a great help in determining whether you have a wish or purpose. Wishes are easily set aside, while striving to do the purpose can be stopped only by death of some kind. Wishes become stifled, purposes keep on trucking. I know literally thousands of men who will someday be a preacher. Sure. I know many others who will write someday. These folks are full of vesper like wishes. If you have a purpose you simply set out from where you are with what you have NOW. One friend wants to get serious about the ministry as soon as people stop gossiping about him. I know of no minister who would ever get out of bed if he/she waits for this to happen. I know this may surprise you, but there are ignorant people who gossip about me with lies. God knows there is enough truth about me that lies are unnecessary! Have you ever noticed there is more gossip about the mayor than the trash collector?

A great purpose is a wonderful enabler to the enjoyment of life at the inner level, which is the highest level of living. Why not give this truth a lot of thought and then get with it.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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