Capital Gaines

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 
— Isaiah 43:19

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 
— Hebrews 10:36

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. — Jeremiah 29:11

Before anything worthwhile can be built, it needs a strong foundation. I believe each life lesson and every opportunity is a building block on which future experiences are built. And that’s definitely true of my life in baseball. I’m confident that I wouldn’t have been a successful entrepreneur if it weren’t for the things I learned in baseball. It was under those bright lights that grit and scrappy became part of my nature, and fortitude became part of the fiber of my being.

I believed the baseball field was the perfect place to train me as a baseball player, but it turned out to be the perfect training ground for life as an entrepreneur.

That can be true for you too, no matter what your passion is. Every ounce of energy you invest in pursuing your goals will help you grow toward God’s plan for you… even if you end up somewhere you hadn’t counted on.

I can’t promise you there won’t be any curveballs in your life. But I’m positive that if you do the hard work and never quit — and pick yourself up when things go sideways — good things will be waiting on the other side.

You were uniquely created for a purpose. I have no clue what that purpose is for you specifically, but I am perfectly confident that you do, in fact, have one. And you would be wise to stop being your own biggest obstacle. Your purpose is just like mine. It’s big, and it’s important, and there’s no one else anywhere on the planet who can fulfill it.

So quit jacking around and go get after it.

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But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
— Isaiah 40:32 

We were created to live passionately — all of us, no matter our personality type or circumstance. The human heart was made to swell and jump and stir; that’s a fact. It took me a while to figure out what makes my heart feel that way. But that is perhaps one of the most crucial things to know about ourselves.

What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning? What puts a smile on your face, the kind you can’t wipe off if you tried? What fascinates you? Motivates you? Overwhelms you in the very best sense? If you don’t know, I suggest not wasting one more single day until you find out.

The way I see it, there’s work and then there’s work. And there’s a big difference between your work and your job.

Vocation is a powerful thing. Don’t let it just happen to you. Chase after it, even if right now “chasing” feels a lot like limping. You’re going to spend approximately ninety-two thousand hours of your life working, so figure out what drives you and run, don’t walk, in the direction of making real, fulfilling work out of that dream. And even if that’s not feasible right now, carve out a chunk of your day, week, and life for the things that fill you up.

Perhaps you can’t quit your day job, and I understand that.

But never, ever quit your day dream.

This devotional draws on the themes of Capital Gaines. Actual non-sequential excerpts are taken from Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff, © 2017 Chip Gaines.