FulfillMentor

by Ade Walker

 

What does it mean to have fulfillment?  Does it mean success in relationships, finances, and spiritual life?  If we decide that we want fulfillment, we all at some point have probably decided that we need help reaching our goals.  So let’s look at full-fill-meant. 

 

All of us want to be full of what we are seeking.  According to MSN Encarta Dictionary the word, full has several definitions that can point us in the right direction to fulfillment, including, “holding as much possible; with nobody missing”.  Many of us feel that we are holding on to too much in our lives, to the point we want to let go.   It also means, “With no part uncompleted”.  Some of us think as if we are incomplete without money, man/woman, or material things.   Next, it means, “at the peak of development”.  There are times when we decide that there is more to attain and develop in our careers and community.  Lastly, full means affected by “strong, deep emotion”.  We focus on the dramatic and emotional instead of pragmatic and rational; that does not help us with fulfillment. 

 

These definitions show that many times we are “full of it”, but we do not possess the right resources, internally to get the outcomes we desire.  We must be filled with the right resources to achieve our dreams.  MSN Encarta Dictionary denotes that fill means: “to become abundant; to take up all the space; to make somebody feel powerful emotion; to meet need:  to provide something; to choose somebody”.  Which one of these do you need in finances, family, faith, or friendships?  Looking at these definitions should make us excited, because we realize if we get filled then all that was once missing is now properly placed in our lives.  Yet, in order to be filled we must live our lives the way they were meant to be lived in every area. 

 

The word meant speaks of intention to express something or the intention to do something.  So how do we get fulfillmeant-- that sense of achievement, satisfaction, completion, and ambitions realized?  Fortunately for us, the Holy Scriptures, have a lot of ancient wisdom on the subject of fulfillment.  In Luke 5:37-38, we see Jesus saying, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”  This means the new things that we intend to fulfill our lives cannot be contained in old ways of thinking, believing and seeing.  He is discussing our intentions, which flow from our heart to our mind and will.  The Bible says that our hearts are desperately wicked and we don't know them.  We need help for our heart.  Our hearts determine our behavior and if they are not altered then we maintain or develop characteristics that take us away from fulfillment.  This is like developing the bad habit of being a “couch potato”; we know it is not good for our health or mindset, but we hope somehow that what we watch or what we ingest will somehow fulfill us.

 

Jesus is teaching here about priority alterations, which lead to fulfillment.   Many of us only attempt primary alterations, which are “superficial changes within a system that do not change the structure of the system itself”.  These are, according to psychologists, reflections of good intentions, i.e., "She made fun of my weight!  I know I am not as active as I should be, so I'll show them; I’m going to lose 30 pounds."  These are changes which reflect what people see about us and how they measure fulfillment.  Yet, priority alterations require a fundamental shift and envisioning of the system's structure and function, i.e., “I am a three part being, so I am going to change my idea of how I value my spirit, soul, and body.  I am going to pray more, have stress-free thoughts, eat right, and exercise.”  Jesus, the Great Filler of our emptiness, does not merely seek to remove the symptoms (an empty heart, empty bank account, or empty relationship), but He assists in altering our interaction patterns and internal resources.  This would not just involve saying, for example, “I am going to eat healthy foods”; it would involve engaging helpers (exercise buddies); strategies (replace healthy snacks with unhealthy ones); new rules (hang around people that love you for who you are); and a reorganization of the way things are functioning (spend time reading, enjoying family, or exercising instead of just watching television).  So have you realized that you need help yet?   Here are some affirmations and questions to guide you along the way:

 

Do you agree that Tyler Perry is a great role model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and celebrity?

—  My life was meant to be like his. 

—  My life needs to fill up with money and fame to have meaning like his. 

—  My life is already full of kindness, talent, and a good work ethic, things that he possesses. 

What are my dreams, desires, and destiny?  In what areas do I need fulfillment?

What must be done in my life to provide true meaning?  What must I be filled with in order to achieve that meaning?

What am I already full of that aligns me with the meaning?

Let me help you answer these questions over the next several articles!  Let me help you reach spiritual, mental, and physical fulfillment.  Let me be your FullfillMentor!