Do Your Priorities and Actions "Align" with Your Purpose?

                I recently had to take my van into get an alignment.  I had a friend suggest a person that he has been going to for years and I trust my friend's judgment.  The place he suggested was called Gary's Wheel Alignment.  Gary is old school and does not use computer technology.  He is an older gentleman that retired a long time ago but still does this job because he loves what he does.  I could tell that he was going to go above and beyond to treat me with great service.

                I had to pay cash for this service so I had to walk to the local Circle K to get cash.  As I was walking I noticed the local news stations in the parking lot of the Circle K and others were cleaning up what was left from an accident.   I found out that someone had run the red light and was hit by a semi-truck.  It sent chills down my spine just thinking about it.  As I walked back to the shop, I started to think about my life and if it is aligned with what I say is my purpose in life. 

                I sat and watched Gary adjust my alignment to my car very thoroughly and I was amazed at his craftsmanship.  Although he was older and moving very slowly, you could tell that he had a passion for this and he was making sure that my car was aligned perfectly.  He actually got up from underneath the car at least 3 times, after adjusting my car, and went to test it for a drive to see if it was driving straight.  Somehow understanding that he was actually test driving it personally and not relying on computer technology to accurately assess the situation brought great peace to me.  As I sat and watched him, it brought a smile to my face and my heart.

                I started thinking about what I love to do and if my actions and if my priorities were "aligned" with my purpose in life.  My purpose is simple.  I explain this to my kids every day.  I am here to get LOTS out of life.  I simply want to "L" Love God with all my heart.  I want to "O" Obey God with all of my heart.  I want to  "T" Trust God with all of my heart.   Then finally, I want to "S" Serve God with all of my heart.  If my actions do not align with these things, then I do not consider what I am doing to be a success.  I realized that I have to get an "alignment" so to speak, in my own life, every so often to see if my priorities and actions align with my purpose in life.

                As I reflected on a life probably lost from the car accident by Circle K, and as I sat and watched my car being aligned, I realized that we all need to ask ourselves every day, "Are my priorities and actions in 'alignment' with my purpose?"  If they are not, we need to get an "alignment" done the old fashioned way.  We need to use a plumb line and get things straightened out.  We need to get our lives in alignment with what we say is truly our purpose in life.

                Thank you Gary for this gentle reminder in my life!!  Take care and God Bless!!  Matt