What do you want to do with your life? As Charles Kettering said, "We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there" (Herbert V. Prochnow, The Toastmaster's Treasure Chest, p. 175). It is good to think far into the future about what kind of legacy we want to leave behind. How do we want people to remember us?

Think for a moment about what you would want said at your funeral or have etched on your tombstone as the epitaph for your life. Perhaps several major accomplishments you hope to achieve come to mind. Considering your strengths and talents, what do you hope to accomplish for a legacy?

Benjamin Franklin left a legacy in colonial America that lasted long after he was gone. Here is what he wrote to have inscribed on his tombstone: "The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer (like the cover of an old book its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding,) lies here food for worms. Yet the work itself shall not be lost, for it will (as he believes) appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition corrected and amended by the author" (ibid., p. 202).

Creating your destiny

Your ultimate destiny and what you accomplish in life will in large part be determined by the way you choose to live life on a daily basis. The operating principles you adopt and the philosophies you apply determine who you become and affect what you accomplish. The old maxim is true. "Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."

Who we become basically is a composite of the habits we live by. These mold and shape our ultimate destiny in this life. Character is far more than mere thoughts. It is what we do, even when we are mistreated.

If you think about it, there are just two broad ways to live. The way most traveled appears to many as a shortcut to success. It puts the self ahead of everyone and everything else. It is a life focused on self-centeredness, vanity, lust, greed, envy, strife and the "get" approach (Galatians 5:19-21). Sadly, this is the foundation for the way most people approach life. It puts selfish accomplishments ahead of what God would have us become. But as Benjamin Franklin said, "If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles."

With this "me first" attitude, it is no wonder our world is filled with such conflict, strife, unhappiness, suffering and evil. These are the fruits of the way most people have chosen to live, but it is the opposite of the way God would have us go.

The road less traveled

The other way to live is the only way to true happiness, contentment and abundant well-being. And it can lead to success and material blessing as well. It is a full, abundant way of life that allows for personal growth and living up to our full human potential. This way of life is the cause that produces the good things most people search for alltheir lives but never find (Galatians 5:22-23). It is also the road to eternal life and everlasting success.

This way of life is centered on the concepts and principles taught by Jesus Christ. It is outlined in the Bible and summarized in the Ten Commandments. It puts God and His ways first. It is based on God's eternal laws and involves a life of personal accomplishment and of giving, sharing and helping others (Ecclesiastes 9:10; 11:9, Matthew 5:43-44). It is the opposite of pride, arrogance and living only to accomplish selfish desires. And it brings the success, peace of mind and security that only our Creator can provide (1 Peter 5:6-9).

When we anchor our lives around eternal principles that are unchanging, we are not overwhelmed by the whimsical winds of societal trends. Being anchored through the storms of life can hold us firmly in place no matter what external winds may blow.

After all, it is not the winds of circumstance that blow through our lives that determine our ultimate success. It is the set of our sail. If we set a direction based on living and accomplishing by using the right principles, we're ready to take advantage of any favorable winds that blow our way. As Thomas Edison said, "We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation" (www.thomasedison.com/edquote.htm).

Free to choose

To many people, life is a big experiment to determine what brings happiness and what brings pain and sorrow. Experience, though, can be a harsh teacher. God not only allows us to choose the wrong way, but He also insists we make our own decision. Yet most will not believe God knows best until they spend a lifetime learning from the ways of life that do not work. Living life on the edge with no absolutes can be a very unstable and painful process. Experiencing hard knocks and evil consequences from wrong decisions and actions is a very destructive, demoralizing and futile process.

God compels us to choose! Yet He wants us to choose the way that leads to real, lasting and eternal success. God challenges each of us: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Support for success

The ultimate true success and happiness everyone desires in life cannot be accomplished by individual effort and hard work alone. We all need help along the road to achieve our destiny. If we choose God's way of life, we can have a Helper, Counselor and Guide to show us the way (Hebrews 13:5-6). True success can only be achieved with the guidance, power and the Spirit of the living God (Zechariah 4:6).

We have to work hard at whatever we set our hands to do to be successful (Proverbs 6:6-11), but how we approach that work has eternal ramifications (Galatians 6:7-8). Success requires us to make the right decisions, set the right goals and diligently work to accomplish them. We must set our will. We must expend our full effort. Yet God is the only One who can supply the all-important ingredients we lack: His power, His love, His faith and His divine guidance.

"For 'he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the L ord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the L ord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:10-12).

If we want God on our side, we must choose to go His way. But most spend nearly all their time living a way of life focused on getting what they want here and now, and lose out on developing the character for the hereafter where they potentially will spend far more time. We can strive for the best that life has to offer now, and build a destiny that is eternal in scope and unlimited in potential. How we choose to mold our future determines our ultimate destiny. Choose life! VT