What We Heard

As men we are bombarded with the ideas of being more, earning more, doing more, achieving the next thing, keeping up, measuring up and winning. Whether it is our jobs, family or other obligations, who among us has not stopped and wondered “is this it?” Do I have to be defined by all these things or is there something more? Granted, our jobs and demands are all things we should and need to lean into and do with excellence, but as David Shedd reminded us this morning at MLN, these responsibilities are not the be all, end all.

What It Means

David Shedd is extremely successful in the eyes of the world, having held executive level intelligence posts with the U.S. Government, but ultimately he sees his calling and significance not in the work he did, but in the difference he can make. David invests in people and attempts to help and coach others to not be anxious about all the unknowns in our world, but to trust God, who holds our future.

To be a man who is committed to following Christ and who seeks to make a difference in the world around him, David Shedd showed us that the greatest attributes we can all strive for in our daily lives are to live with compassion for others and to have a deep sense of gratitude.

What We Do Next

When we wake every day that God gives us, we should strive to see the day as an opportunity to impact others, to live sacrificially and to strive to make the world better, not just myself better. We naturally will drift towards the uncertainty, the anxiety and the pursuit of the things of this world, but David Shedd gave us a great reminder this morning; this world is not our home!

Let us seek to live with gratitude and to set our eyes on things above. Let us see our families, employees, and co-workers as people we can pour into. And ultimately, let us see this world as a temporary place we are just passing through.