Have you ever had a question get into your head, and you cannot get it out? It’s not that it doesn’t have an answer. It’s not like you cannot figure out how to get to the solution that will satisfy, but its a question that has such far-reaching implications that it demands you not merely answer it in your head but begin looking at the impact of living it out in your life. 

Recently this happened to me. But then here is the tricky part, the original question started to spin off more questions, and to be entirely transparent, the train of questions has wrecked me. I have been challenged to do an honest inventory of my life to make sure that what I say, I believe, and the way I am living is in congruence with one another. 

Here is the original question: 

What if what I have is keeping me from what I truly want? 

I think deep down; everyone wants to live a life of significance. Not necessarily the importance that comes with being known, but knowing our presence made a powerful impact in the life of another. I can’t help but think how often to do this; we have to sacrifice what we have to see this impact and legacy come about. But how often do we allow what we have and our powerful connection to those things to move us to a place where, for some reason, we can’t let go to make the significant impact we know we have been called to make.

Now I get that we all have our stuff. We have worked hard to build a collection or a business or organization. We want to be comfortable and taught that as long as we work hard, we can put together these things, and while some items will come and go, the stuff that matters will be the things in which we invest. While I understand this, what I cannot get away from the idea that there are times we become so attached to or consumed by the things we have that we cannot get the things we want.

Please understand that this isn’t about adding more stuff to our lives, but adding things that make a real significance or difference. Our society has conditioned us that we have to protect what we have that we have, I think, slipped into a scarcity mindset. What I have is mine, and I have to defend it, and if I share it or I give it up, I will never find anything better. The problem with this mindset, though, is that it often limits us from achieving more important things. We are so concerned that giving up what we already have will leave us in a place that is worse off. But, what if what we have keeps us from the life we want and meant to live? Is what we have kept us from the more significant story? Is it keeping us from leaning into helping another tell a better story? 

The longer I sat with these questions and the far-reaching implications; it began to raise a second question. 

What if what I have is blinding me to what I honestly need? 

I recognize that there is a vast difference between wanting something and needing something. My wife tells me this all the time when I see something shiny and say I need to get that. She quickly reminds me that it’s a want, not a need. There are things in life we need and lots of stuff we want. The importance is being able to distinguish between the two.

Sometimes the things we honestly need in life, are not always what we think we want. There are times that we unable to recognize how desperately we need something until we have moved through a season. When we look back, we can appreciate what it is we had to give up to get something we needed to survive and probably even thrive.

I wonder if my vision for what I honestly need in life has been blinded by what I already have. I settled in my thinking that because I have this thing that there is nothing else I could need. Do I need to have my vision corrected so that I can begin to see that while what I have was perfect for a season, that it’s time to lay it down so I can take ahold of what I need in order to let life get to the place where I am thriving as well as helping others around me thrive also?

I do not want my legacy to be that I settled for some good things. When in reality, I could have been part of something greater and been able to contribute more if I had just not let what I had kept me from getting the things in life that I truly wanted or honestly needed.

So is there something you have that is keeping you from what it is you want? Is it possible that something you have is blinding you to what you need? I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or connect with m on social media and let me know.