5 Ways to Find Out Why You Do What You Do
Do you know where you’re going to?
CHRISTIANITY
5 Ways to Find Out Why You Do What You Do
Check the map first. Which map?
That makes a difference. Find out who made the map. Are the directions trustworthy? Is the publisher credible?
Eve believed the tour guide snake and followed the lie.
Liars lie.
Liars tell lies.
Liars promote lies to others.
Of course, all paths lead to a destination and natural consequences. Start by defining your direction. Direction is defined as “the course or path on which something is moving or pointing.”
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” Genesis 3:9–10
If direction determines destination, what determines direction?
Your direction is determined by what gets your attention.
Whoa!
Instant gratification!
The devil’s lie worked. It still does. You want to be in control.
You do not want to surrender to God’s will. You want your own way. Uh-oh.
If you’re heading the wrong direction, then turn around now
Read on ahead. What happened. When Adam and Eve realized that they were going the direction that displeased God, they chose a path that still is evidenced today:
- First they hid.
- Then they covered up.
- Then they blamed.
Designing the direction of your legacy is the result of assessing where you are. Whether you realize it or not, whether you want to or not, you leave a legacy of who you are — who you were — along the path of life. Your path is made one decision at a time.
“So you’re on a road. You’re on a turn — or you will be — that’s because God has loved you enough to take you somewhere and develop you till you get there. You can prolong the detour, but you don’t have to prolong it if you will draw near to Him in the midst of it. Say no to that which breaks His heart and yes to that which brings His heart joy. Confess any failure you had yesterday. You can’t change yesterday, but if you start today, you can move toward a better tomorrow because you’re still here.”- Tony Evans
Look at the map to know where you are now. That helps to see where you have come from and where you are going to. In other words, moving from the past into the future means you are in the present.
If the present is a present
The present time is all you have control of now. The past is history. The future is a mystery.
What happened.
When Adam and Eve realized that they were going the direction that displeased God, they chose a path that still is evidenced today in all of us, their offspring.
If you choose that direction, what got your attention?
To answer that, look at the trajectory. You will end up at a destination by going a specific direction that caught your attention. What is it that grabbed your attention? Your motivation.
Motivation is a synonym for desire or passion or will. You want it. You really go after whatever it is. Do you know where you will end up?
Maybe. Maybe not.
That’s where an assessment makes the difference.
DESIRE forms a THOUGHT that causes an ACTION that leads to a CONSEQUENCE. -Noom
When the choice is yours to be responsible, acknowledge where you are, where you’re going, and what the consequences will be, you will experience the wisdom path that ends in joy.
If that got your attention, what was your motivation?
Adam and Eve were not puppets. Adam and Eve experienced consequences of their choices when they believed the lies “to be like God” and replace God’s leading and authority with their own.
You are not a puppet. You have a choice. Your motivation determines what gets your attention that leads you in that direction towards your ultimate destination.
Motivation is the core desire that influences what gets your attention. That passion of your heart leads to choices why you go in a direction that ends in a destination or natural consequence. Find out why you do what you do.