“You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” is singing its way through my dream as I encounter a group of street thugs. Their theme song has the opposite lyrics and a different tune; Nobody Loves Me, I Wonder Why?

            Somehow, (my dreams are not as detailed as some) we get into a discussion.  I begin to share God’s love with them, explaining that God is hilariously in love with them; telling them that Jesus loves them so much that He chose to go to the cross to pay their penalty for sin, that they could be free from sin. No more guilt!I give them each a toothpick, explaining that God desires a broken and contrite heart. (Psalm 51:17). Webster’s Dictionary describes contrite as sincere remorse, or a deep sense of guilt and desire for atonement (to be at one with the offended one-God).

            I sense these guys are really listening to me, and taking it all in, so I ask them to break the toothpick as a symbolic gesture of their willingness to be broken in repentance, which they did. Wow, wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy in real life? Now I give each one (I think there were four or five guys) a small handful of toothpicks, explaining that there are many negative things attached to their lives which need to be broken off. To move their lives forward, I ask them to break a toothpick, giving it the name of a habit or hurt from which they want to be free.

This procedure is repeated over and over again, until they cannot name anymore encumbrances. They each have some toothpicks left for future realignment, as God reveals it to them. This is where my dream ends.

6 Steps to move your life forward

Acknowledge the pit you are in. Examine the roadblocks to progress.  Remember, no one is perfect. The good book says we all have sinned. We all fall short of perfection. (Romans 3:23) If one is a Christian, then he or she is the “righteousness of God,” but still a work in progress. The big challenge in life, after receiving Christ, is continuing to progress. Life is filled with hurdles and stumbling blocks such as fears, anger, addictions – food, drugs, alcohol, nicotine, procrastination, grudges, unforgiveness and whatever. As some Greek philosopher once said, “Know thyself.”

Surrender your life to Jesus Christ. I was listening to a national TV channel one day, when I heard a funny story about a lady I know in Florida. She was walking across the parking lot of a shopping center when she ran into a man she knew. He complained of pain in his back, so she began to pray for him. She placed a hand on his back as she prayed, and he lifted both of his hands heavenward as an act of surrender to God. Now enters the wonderful world of cell phones and the police. I laughed until I cried when I heard this story. In reality, it isn’t funny though, because that man was serious in receiving God’s blessing – lifting his arms as an act of faith.

Surrender is actually the act of repentance, which means you turn to walk in the opposite direction, forsaking the sinful way you once walked, breaking toothpicks, if you will. I heard about a painter who bid on a church painting job. The problem was he underbid it and discovered he didn’t buy enough paint to finish the job so he began adding water to the paint. Just as he was finishing the job, a heavy rainstorm came upon the scene and all the paint began to wash off the building. He cried out, “Lord, what am I going to do?” At that moment there was a clap of thunder, accompanied by a voice proclaiming, “Repaint and thin no more!”

Praise others – your spouse, your children, your friends and even your enemies when there is a reason to compliment them. Above all, praise God because He inhabits, dwells in and is enthroned in the praises of His people.(Psalm 22:3) To have an intimate relation with God, begin praising Him. Sing praises to Him. It will move your life forward. Praise others. It will help move their lives forward.

Inspire and encourage others (1 Thessalonians 5:11) with words of kindness and caring. Life is a struggle, especially in these days. Share uplifting, positive stories. Eliminate negative words from your vocabulary. In my book (Benny to Beyonce – Finding God’s Perfect Pitch for Your Life), read about Diana Ross belting out “Don’t Nobody Bring Me no Bad News,” from the Broadway play, The Wiz.

There is an inspiring story in my book about a quadriplegic friend, Ron Heagy, a jock, whose neck was broken at age 17. He has accomplished more thus far than 90% of adults do in a lifetime. As a public speaker, he has held millions of listeners spellbound. He has a whitewater camp for handicapped kids. He is a mouth brush artist, commissioned by Nike, fetching $3000 for his canvases. He is a highly successful businessman, author, father and motivational speaker. You will read about him in my chapter titled, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Aspire to inspire someone before you expire.

Refuel your life daily. You can’t run on fumes. Keep in touch with your power source – God. As a teenager, one of my favorite verses was Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Our car needs fuel to keep going and so does our inner man, our spirit. Attend small group Bible/discussions. You may make Sunday or Saturday worship a regular part of your life, but more effective yet is daily worship. This is a great way to jump start your day and move your life forward.

Enlarge your horizons. What is your life plan? Did you know that God has a plan for your life?  “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) Aspire to discover God’s plan for your life and move forward. If money were not an object, what would you really like to do with your life? Think outside the box. Think big. What are you passionate about? How can you follow that passion to gain fulfillment for your life? Are there toothpicks that still need to be broken to achieve your unfulfilled destiny? Think about it.