Living Life by Design

Over and over throughout my life I’ve seen first hand, it isn’t what you know that makes a difference, it’s who you know. Since coming back from the professional tennis circuit, I’ve only perused two different career paths. One selling commercial trucks for Ford Motor Company, and the second in the residential mortgage business. The success I found in these two career paths was not due to my knowledge nor education. It was because of who I knew.

“During the American Civil War, as a result of a family tragedy, a soldier was granted permission to seek a hearing from the President. He wanted to request exemption from military service. However, when he arrived at the White House, he was refused entry and sent away. He went and sat in a nearby park.

A young boy came across him and remarked how unhappy he looked. The soldier found himself telling the young boy everything. Eventually the boy said, ‘Come with me.’ He led the dejected soldier back to the White House. They went around the back, none of the guards stopped them. Even the generals and high-ranking government officials stood to attention and let them pass through.

The soldier was amazed. Finally, they came to the presidential office. Without knocking, the young boy opened the door and walked straight in. Abraham Lincoln, standing there, turned from his conversation with the Secretary of State and said, ‘What can I do for you, Tad?’

Tad said, ‘Dad, this soldier needs to talk to you.’”

The soldier had access to the President because of a person he knew…the Presidents son. I had access to two different career paths because of a person I knew. We as Christians, in a more amazing way, have access to God himself, through another person…his son, Jesus.

The Apostle Paul writes, ‘Through him [Jesus] we have access to the Father by one Spirit’ (Ephesians 2:18).. prayer is an immense privilege. We are able to speak to God, the creator of the universe, as our Father. We come to him through Jesus, the man who is God, our Lord, our savior, our brother and friend.

With such an incredible opportunity (privilege) we have through someone we know (Jesus), shouldn’t we spend more time in prayer?

How about now?