One of my daughters came to me one day and said,”I want to be a famous and rich celebrity mum.” That’s great! I responded, what would you be celebrated for?

Until that moment, she had not made the connection that celebrities are actually celebrated for something (at least by definition in an ideal world).That the led to one of our mother/daughter chats.

This may be a poor illustration,but my point is that when you commit or devote yourself to something, you become a voice for that very thing.

“Aspire to lead a calm and peaceful life as you mind your own business and earn your living, just as we’ve taught you. By doing this you will live an honourable life, influencing others and commandin respect of even the unbelievers. Then you’ll be in need of nothing and not dependent upon others.”1 Thessalonians 4: 11 -12 TPT

When people talk about their aspirations, you hardly hear them count living in peace as one of those aspirations. In fact, some people associate hustling, noise and busyness to achieving. You could be very busy almost all your life, hustling and making a lot of noise and still get nowhere.The above scripture says to “Aspire to lead a calm and peaceful life as you mind your own business…”

The phrase ‘mind your own business’ has been interpreted to mean respect other people’s privacy but that was not the case in this instance in 1Thessalonians 4:11. The phrase in the original Greek actually means MANAGE YOURSELF.

In one of my recent blogs, I talked about lessons from the ants. That is a close example of what this phrase is talking about. The ants have no governor or leader, yet they know how to manage themselves to produce food even in winter. The act of managing yourself is an enterprise in itself.

There is a correlation between minding your business, i.e. managing yourself, and earning a living because every business has the potential to produce. So, it follows that what you don’t tend to, does not produce. Almost anyone can have an idea. Ideas, a lot of times are not exclusive, they can come to anyone. Ideas are like a mist that falls on everyone. What really separatesthe achiever from the rest of the world is that the achiever takes this mist ( idea ) and works on it. They put in time and effort to manage themselves, to develop that idea and transform it from just a thought to an actual product or service. When you focus on your business, you become a producer and, in producing, you truly become a giver, a blessing.

The year is still young, it is only January. Do not take this year to mean business as usual’. Instead, focus on managing yourself so you can be a blessing to others. The next verse says, by doing this, you will live an honourable life…what’s more fulfilling than being someone that can be counted upon when the chips are down. Someone who is not always looking to receive but readily gives, not out of struggle but from a place of overflow as a result of their diligence in working the word (The word of God works).

The people who manage themselves live lives of influence and earn respect (from their communities and beyond).They may not like you but still respect you as a result of the fruit you produce by minding your business.

Many Blessings.