If the Lord Comes Today, Would You Be Ready?" Powerful  Motivational speech By  Dr. Maya Angelou
Dr. Maya Angelou Motivation
[{'start': '0.400', 'end': '5.759', 'text': 'Some people say the end will come like a'}, {'start': '2.879', 'end': '8.880', 'text': 'thief in the night. I say the night is'}, {'start': '5.759', 'end': '11.360', 'text': 'already here. And the thief, the thief'}, {'start': '8.880', 'end': '14.240', 'text': 'is time. We sit dressed in our Sunday'}, {'start': '11.360', 'end': '16.400', 'text': 'best, but our souls naked, not from lack'}, {'start': '14.240', 'end': '19.520', 'text': 'of covering, but from the absence of'}, {'start': '16.400', 'end': '21.920', 'text': 'truth. So I ask you, not as a preacher,'}, {'start': '19.520', 'end': '24.400', 'text': 'not as a prophet, but as a witness. If'}, {'start': '21.920', 'end': '26.880', 'text': 'the Lord comes today, would you be'}, {'start': '24.400', 'end': '29.599', 'text': 'ready? There comes a moment, not written'}, {'start': '26.880', 'end': '31.679', 'text': 'in calendar, nor whispered by clocks,'}, {'start': '29.599', 'end': '34.000', 'text': 'when the soul begins to stir, and it'}, {'start': '31.679', 'end': '36.719', 'text': "doesn't wait for ceremony. That moment"}, {'start': '34.000', 'end': '39.040', 'text': 'is now. Not tomorrow, not the next'}, {'start': '36.719', 'end': '40.879', 'text': "Sunday you promise you'll be better. Not"}, {'start': '39.040', 'end': '43.520', 'text': 'when the children are grown or the bills'}, {'start': '40.879', 'end': '46.160', 'text': 'are paid, or your heartbreak has healed.'}, {'start': '43.520', 'end': '48.399', 'text': 'Now, this is the thunderous call.'}, {'start': '46.160', 'end': '50.879', 'text': 'self-reflection. Not the soft hum of'}, {'start': '48.399', 'end': '52.960', 'text': 'quiet guilt, but a shout from deep'}, {'start': '50.879', 'end': '55.879', 'text': 'within the spirit that demands you look'}, {'start': '52.960', 'end': '58.719', 'text': 'again at your choices, at your'}, {'start': '55.879', 'end': '60.879', 'text': 'priorities, at what you claim to believe'}, {'start': '58.719', 'end': '64.320', 'text': 'and how little of it is visible in how'}, {'start': '60.879', 'end': '67.360', 'text': "you live. You see, there is a lie we've"}, {'start': '64.320', 'end': '69.119', 'text': 'all learned to wear. The idea that time'}, {'start': '67.360', 'end': '71.040', 'text': 'is merciful that we will always have'}, {'start': '69.119', 'end': '72.880', 'text': 'later to make it right, to pray harder,'}, {'start': '71.040', 'end': '75.360', 'text': 'to love deeper, to finally choose the'}, {'start': '72.880', 'end': '78.080', 'text': 'narrow road. But mercy is not measured'}, {'start': '75.360', 'end': '80.720', 'text': "in minutes and time. Time doesn't knock,"}, {'start': '78.080', 'end': '82.400', 'text': 'it storms. So I ask not to scold you,'}, {'start': '80.720', 'end': '84.479', 'text': 'but to awaken you. When was the last'}, {'start': '82.400', 'end': '87.040', 'text': "time you looked at your life and didn't"}, {'start': '84.479', 'end': '89.360', 'text': 'just see motion, but meaning? When did'}, {'start': '87.040', 'end': '92.799', 'text': 'you last examine your heart and find it'}, {'start': '89.360', 'end': '94.560', 'text': 'not full of noise, but full of truth?'}, {'start': '92.799', 'end': '96.960', 'text': "Have you made peace with what you've"}, {'start': '94.560', 'end': '99.600', 'text': "done, with what you've delayed, with who"}, {'start': '96.960', 'end': '102.720', 'text': "you've become in the quiet? This is not"}, {'start': '99.600', 'end': '105.200', 'text': 'a call for perfection. No, never that.'}, {'start': '102.720', 'end': '108.720', 'text': 'But it is a summons to honesty, to'}, {'start': '105.200', 'end': '110.799', 'text': 'naked, trembling, liberating honesty,'}, {'start': '108.720', 'end': '113.759', 'text': 'because the Lord may not wait for you to'}, {'start': '110.799', 'end': '116.079', 'text': "get it together. The sky won't hold back"}, {'start': '113.759', 'end': '118.960', 'text': 'its opening until you finally delete the'}, {'start': '116.079', 'end': '121.439', 'text': 'number, say the apology, or leave the'}, {'start': '118.960', 'end': '124.079', 'text': 'addiction. So the question hangs like'}, {'start': '121.439', 'end': '126.880', 'text': 'thunder in a still sky. If the Lord'}, {'start': '124.079', 'end': '129.679', 'text': 'comes today, would you be ready? Not'}, {'start': '126.880', 'end': '131.400', 'text': 'dressed up, not playing church, not'}, {'start': '129.679', 'end': '134.640', 'text': "hiding behind your grandmother's"}, {'start': '131.400', 'end': '137.440', 'text': 'prayers. Ready in your walk, in your'}, {'start': '134.640', 'end': '140.520', 'text': 'words, in your willingness to kneel, to'}, {'start': '137.440', 'end': '143.680', 'text': 'change, to be seen by God as you truly'}, {'start': '140.520', 'end': '146.640', 'text': 'are. Readiness, my beloved, is not an'}, {'start': '143.680', 'end': '148.879', 'text': 'outfit you wear on Sunday morning. It is'}, {'start': '146.640', 'end': '152.080', 'text': 'not the stiffness of a pressed suit or'}, {'start': '148.879', 'end': '154.400', 'text': 'the shine of a sanctified hat. No,'}, {'start': '152.080', 'end': '157.360', 'text': 'readiness is the quiet elegance of a'}, {'start': '154.400', 'end': '159.519', 'text': 'life lived in alignment with truth, with'}, {'start': '157.360', 'end': '161.840', 'text': 'mercy, with justice, and with the'}, {'start': '159.519', 'end': '165.519', 'text': 'whisper of the divine guiding your every'}, {'start': '161.840', 'end': '168.160', 'text': 'step. It is not loud. It does not boast.'}, {'start': '165.519', 'end': '170.640', 'text': 'It does not declare itself in memorized'}, {'start': '168.160', 'end': '173.519', 'text': 'scriptures while the heart rots beneath.'}, {'start': '170.640', 'end': '175.360', 'text': 'It is a posture, a way of being, a'}, {'start': '173.519', 'end': '177.120', 'text': 'lightness in the soul that comes not'}, {'start': '175.360', 'end': '179.519', 'text': 'from knowing everything, but from'}, {'start': '177.120', 'end': '181.440', 'text': 'surrendering everything. There are'}, {'start': '179.519', 'end': '184.080', 'text': 'people, many of them, who walk like'}, {'start': '181.440', 'end': '186.480', 'text': 'saints and talk like prophets. Yet their'}, {'start': '184.080', 'end': '189.120', 'text': 'spirit are frantic, cluttered with'}, {'start': '186.480', 'end': '192.000', 'text': 'unspoken envy, unfinished apologies,'}, {'start': '189.120', 'end': '194.640', 'text': 'unforgiven sins. They smile with lips'}, {'start': '192.000', 'end': '196.640', 'text': 'that never say, "I\'m sorry." They bow'}, {'start': '194.640', 'end': '198.720', 'text': 'heads in prayer while holding grudges'}, {'start': '196.640', 'end': '201.360', 'text': 'like sacred idols. That is not'}, {'start': '198.720', 'end': '204.159', 'text': 'readiness. That is performance. The kind'}, {'start': '201.360', 'end': '206.400', 'text': 'of readiness I speak of is not for show.'}, {'start': '204.159', 'end': '208.879', 'text': 'It is for him. It is how you treat the'}, {'start': '206.400', 'end': '210.799', 'text': 'least of these when no one is watching.'}, {'start': '208.879', 'end': '212.920', 'text': 'It is whether your hands build or'}, {'start': '210.799', 'end': '215.680', 'text': 'destroy, whether your tongue heals or'}, {'start': '212.920', 'end': '218.239', 'text': 'poisons. It is whether your love is real'}, {'start': '215.680', 'end': '220.799', 'text': 'even when it costs you. Readiness is'}, {'start': '218.239', 'end': '224.159', 'text': 'elegant because it is simple. It does'}, {'start': '220.799', 'end': '226.879', 'text': 'not compete. It does not chase applause.'}, {'start': '224.159', 'end': '229.680', 'text': 'It stands humbly, quietly with open'}, {'start': '226.879', 'end': '233.760', 'text': 'hands and a willing heart, saying, "Here'}, {'start': '229.680', 'end': '235.840', 'text': 'I am, Lord. Use me. Change me. See me."'}, {'start': '233.760', 'end': '238.319', 'text': 'And if he came today not announced by'}, {'start': '235.840', 'end': '241.120', 'text': 'thunder, but in the silence between your'}, {'start': '238.319', 'end': '243.920', 'text': 'two breaths, would your soul stand tall'}, {'start': '241.120', 'end': '246.080', 'text': 'in its quiet obedience? Or would it'}, {'start': '243.920', 'end': '248.720', 'text': 'shrink behind the shame of wasted time'}, {'start': '246.080', 'end': '252.560', 'text': 'and hidden truths? This is not to'}, {'start': '248.720', 'end': '255.200', 'text': 'frighten you, child. No, never that. It'}, {'start': '252.560', 'end': '257.840', 'text': 'is to remind you that elegance in the'}, {'start': '255.200', 'end': '260.639', 'text': 'eyes of the divine is found not in the'}, {'start': '257.840', 'end': '263.680', 'text': 'robes we wear, but in the readiness we'}, {'start': '260.639', 'end': '266.479', 'text': 'live. There comes a moment in every life'}, {'start': '263.680', 'end': '269.759', 'text': 'where the mirror no longer flatters and'}, {'start': '266.479', 'end': '272.639', 'text': 'the silence no longer comforts. A moment'}, {'start': '269.759', 'end': '275.600', 'text': 'where you must stand face face face with'}, {'start': '272.639', 'end': '278.240', 'text': 'your own soul and ask it the hardest'}, {'start': '275.600', 'end': '281.280', 'text': 'question. Have I been true? This, my'}, {'start': '278.240', 'end': '283.040', 'text': 'dear, is not a judgment. It is a poetic'}, {'start': '281.280', 'end': '284.919', 'text': 'confrontation with the conscience, a'}, {'start': '283.040', 'end': '287.520', 'text': 'reckoning not made with fire and'}, {'start': '284.919', 'end': '290.479', 'text': 'brimstone, but with the gentle agony of'}, {'start': '287.520', 'end': '294.199', 'text': 'truth. And the question before us is not'}, {'start': '290.479', 'end': '297.600', 'text': 'if he comes, but when because whether by'}, {'start': '294.199', 'end': '300.520', 'text': 'skies, flitting trumpet, soft final'}, {'start': '297.600', 'end': '303.520', 'text': 'breath, his coming is not a matter of'}, {'start': '300.520', 'end': '306.400', 'text': 'speculation. It is a promise. And what'}, {'start': '303.520', 'end': '309.600', 'text': 'then? We live as though eternity is a'}, {'start': '306.400', 'end': '312.160', 'text': 'myth and mercy is a guarantee. We'}, {'start': '309.600', 'end': '314.560', 'text': 'decorate our lives with distractions,'}, {'start': '312.160', 'end': '317.280', 'text': 'entertainments, and obligations that'}, {'start': '314.560', 'end': '320.240', 'text': 'make us feel full while our spirits cry'}, {'start': '317.280', 'end': '322.400', 'text': 'out hollow and hungry. We speak of'}, {'start': '320.240', 'end': '324.960', 'text': 'destiny and purpose, but run from the'}, {'start': '322.400', 'end': '327.280', 'text': 'stillness where purpose speaks back.'}, {'start': '324.960', 'end': '329.919', 'text': 'This confrontation is not about guilt.'}, {'start': '327.280', 'end': '332.479', 'text': 'Guilt shackles. This is about truth.'}, {'start': '329.919', 'end': '334.479', 'text': 'Truth that frees truth that strips away'}, {'start': '332.479', 'end': '337.120', 'text': 'performance and leaves only the essence'}, {'start': '334.479', 'end': '339.440', 'text': 'of who you are when no one is watching.'}, {'start': '337.120', 'end': '341.759', 'text': 'Can you look in that mirror? not the one'}, {'start': '339.440', 'end': '344.400', 'text': 'on your wall, but the one in your soul'}, {'start': '341.759', 'end': '347.919', 'text': 'and say, "I have loved well. I have'}, {'start': '344.400', 'end': '350.639', 'text': 'forgiven deeply. I have served humbly. I'}, {'start': '347.919', 'end': '353.039', 'text': 'have listened when I was called." If he'}, {'start': '350.639', 'end': '355.199', 'text': 'comes today and you feel a sudden'}, {'start': '353.039', 'end': '357.680', 'text': 'stirring in the wind or a whisper in'}, {'start': '355.199', 'end': '360.800', 'text': 'your spirit, will you be able to meet'}, {'start': '357.680', 'end': '363.759', 'text': 'his gaze without lowering your own? This'}, {'start': '360.800', 'end': '366.160', 'text': 'is not the time to pretend. Pretending'}, {'start': '363.759', 'end': '367.400', 'text': 'has robbed too many of peace, of'}, {'start': '366.160', 'end': '369.919', 'text': 'purpose, of'}, {'start': '367.400', 'end': '372.880', 'text': 'preparation. No, now is the time to'}, {'start': '369.919', 'end': '375.440', 'text': 'confront yourself gently but truthfully,'}, {'start': '372.880', 'end': '378.319', 'text': 'like a poet tracing the final line of'}, {'start': '375.440', 'end': '381.120', 'text': 'her most sacred verse. And if there is'}, {'start': '378.319', 'end': '383.280', 'text': 'trembling in you, let it be not from'}, {'start': '381.120', 'end': '385.600', 'text': 'fear, but from the awe of finally coming'}, {'start': '383.280', 'end': '388.000', 'text': 'home to your own truth, because he is'}, {'start': '385.600', 'end': '390.400', 'text': 'not fooled by our masks. He does not'}, {'start': '388.000', 'end': '392.319', 'text': 'grade our performance. He listens only'}, {'start': '390.400', 'end': '395.120', 'text': 'to the heartbeat behind the words,'}, {'start': '392.319', 'end': '397.280', 'text': '"Life, my dear, is a borrowed garment.'}, {'start': '395.120', 'end': '400.560', 'text': 'And one day, whether we are ready or'}, {'start': '397.280', 'end': '402.800', 'text': 'not, we must return it not to the earth,'}, {'start': '400.560', 'end': '405.520', 'text': 'not to time, but to the one who tailored'}, {'start': '402.800', 'end': '408.000', 'text': 'it thread by thread. Every breath'}, {'start': '405.520', 'end': '411.600', 'text': 'stitched in grace, every heartbeat'}, {'start': '408.000', 'end': '414.319', 'text': 'hemmed in mercy, every scar a mark of'}, {'start': '411.600', 'end': '417.039', 'text': 'the journey we were trusted to walk. But'}, {'start': '414.319', 'end': '420.319', 'text': 'how, I ask you, how will we return what'}, {'start': '417.039', 'end': '422.240', 'text': 'we have worn so carelessly? Some of us'}, {'start': '420.319', 'end': '425.160', 'text': 'drag it through bitterness and wear it'}, {'start': '422.240', 'end': '428.240', 'text': 'ragged with pride. We stain it with'}, {'start': '425.160', 'end': '430.080', 'text': 'selfishness, rip it with regret, stretch'}, {'start': '428.240', 'end': '433.360', 'text': 'it in places where discipline should'}, {'start': '430.080', 'end': '436.000', 'text': 'have held it firm. And yet when the hour'}, {'start': '433.360', 'end': '438.639', 'text': 'comes, and make no mistake, it will we'}, {'start': '436.000', 'end': '442.160', 'text': 'must fold it, place it in invisible'}, {'start': '438.639', 'end': '444.400', 'text': 'hands, and answer for how we wore it. Do'}, {'start': '442.160', 'end': '446.080', 'text': 'we carry ourselves with honor? Do we'}, {'start': '444.400', 'end': '448.800', 'text': 'clothe others in kindness when their'}, {'start': '446.080', 'end': '450.880', 'text': 'spirits stood naked in sorrow? Do we'}, {'start': '448.800', 'end': '453.440', 'text': 'patch up the torn places with humility'}, {'start': '450.880', 'end': '455.680', 'text': 'and repentance? Or do we strut through'}, {'start': '453.440', 'end': '458.800', 'text': 'life unaware that the very garment we'}, {'start': '455.680', 'end': '461.199', 'text': 'wear was never ours to keep? You see, to'}, {'start': '458.800', 'end': '463.199', 'text': 'be ready not only to believe, but to'}, {'start': '461.199', 'end': '466.080', 'text': 'behave as if this life is on loan,'}, {'start': '463.199', 'end': '467.919', 'text': 'precious, temporary, sacred, we must'}, {'start': '466.080', 'end': '470.160', 'text': 'wear it, knowing that the designer will'}, {'start': '467.919', 'end': '473.120', 'text': 'ask, "What did you do with what I gave'}, {'start': '470.160', 'end': '474.720', 'text': 'you?" So I ask again, in the hush that'}, {'start': '473.120', 'end': '477.360', 'text': 'falls between the ticking of the clock,'}, {'start': '474.720', 'end': '479.919', 'text': 'if he comes today, will he find you'}, {'start': '477.360', 'end': '482.400', 'text': 'clinging to what never belonged to you?'}, {'start': '479.919', 'end': '486.160', 'text': 'Or will you stand with open hands,'}, {'start': '482.400', 'end': '488.639', 'text': 'garment clean, heart quiet, soul saying,'}, {'start': '486.160', 'end': '491.599', 'text': 'I wore it as best I could with grace,'}, {'start': '488.639', 'end': '494.000', 'text': 'with purpose, with reverence. For when'}, {'start': '491.599', 'end': '496.639', 'text': "the moment comes, it won't be the style"}, {'start': '494.000', 'end': '499.440', 'text': 'of the life that matters. It will be the'}, {'start': '496.639', 'end': '502.240', 'text': 'condition in which you return it. There'}, {'start': '499.440', 'end': '505.039', 'text': 'is a danger subtle and sweet like honey'}, {'start': '502.240', 'end': '508.440', 'text': 'left too long in the sun that lives in'}, {'start': '505.039', 'end': '512.000', 'text': 'the hearts of many. Spiritual'}, {'start': '508.440', 'end': '515.760', 'text': 'procrastination. The soul says not now.'}, {'start': '512.000', 'end': '518.959', 'text': "The mouth says I'll change soon. And the"}, {'start': '515.760', 'end': '521.839', 'text': 'heart, poor thing, grows numbing on a'}, {'start': '518.959', 'end': '524.159', 'text': 'tomorrow that never promised it would.'}, {'start': '521.839', 'end': '527.080', 'text': "Come, we've convinced ourselves that we"}, {'start': '524.159', 'end': '530.080', 'text': 'have time. Time to forgive, time to'}, {'start': '527.080', 'end': '533.440', 'text': 'pray, time to love more deeply, live'}, {'start': '530.080', 'end': '537.120', 'text': 'more truthfully, speak more kindly. But'}, {'start': '533.440', 'end': '539.279', 'text': 'time, child, does not take requests. It'}, {'start': '537.120', 'end': '541.440', 'text': 'does not wait for the choir to sing your'}, {'start': '539.279', 'end': '542.760', 'text': 'repentance or the preacher to finish'}, {'start': '541.440', 'end': '545.760', 'text': 'their last'}, {'start': '542.760', 'end': '548.880', 'text': 'invitation. Time moves forward whether'}, {'start': '545.760', 'end': '551.760', 'text': 'you do or not. So many walk around with'}, {'start': '548.880', 'end': '554.800', 'text': 'the illusion of preparation. They carry'}, {'start': '551.760', 'end': '557.680', 'text': 'a Bible they never open. They recite'}, {'start': '554.800', 'end': '559.920', 'text': 'prayers they no longer feel. They speak'}, {'start': '557.680', 'end': '562.920', 'text': 'of blessings but curse their neighbor'}, {'start': '559.920', 'end': '566.399', 'text': 'under their breath. They plan to make it'}, {'start': '562.920', 'end': '569.839', 'text': 'right. After one more indulgence, one'}, {'start': '566.399', 'end': '572.959', 'text': 'more lie, one more season of running,'}, {'start': '569.839', 'end': '575.760', 'text': 'but every delay deepens the distance.'}, {'start': '572.959', 'end': '578.399', 'text': 'Every postponement of truth adds a new'}, {'start': '575.760', 'end': '581.519', 'text': 'brick to the wall between you and what'}, {'start': '578.399', 'end': '584.360', 'text': "you were called to become. Don't let the"}, {'start': '581.519', 'end': '588.160', 'text': 'soul fall asleep in the lullaby of one'}, {'start': '584.360', 'end': '591.360', 'text': 'day because one day has buried more'}, {'start': '588.160', 'end': '593.360', 'text': 'callings than death ever. Could one day'}, {'start': '591.360', 'end': '596.080', 'text': 'is the lullabi the enemy sings to those'}, {'start': '593.360', 'end': '598.720', 'text': 'who are too close to awakening? No,'}, {'start': '596.080', 'end': '600.640', 'text': 'beloved readiness cannot be scheduled.'}, {'start': '598.720', 'end': '602.399', 'text': "The trumpet may sound when you're in the"}, {'start': '600.640', 'end': '604.480', 'text': 'middle of building your empire,'}, {'start': '602.399', 'end': '606.399', 'text': 'scrolling through your feed, or nursing'}, {'start': '604.480', 'end': '609.440', 'text': "a grudge you promised you'd let go of"}, {'start': '606.399', 'end': '611.680', 'text': 'next week. So hear me clearly and hear'}, {'start': '609.440', 'end': '613.600', 'text': 'me now. Do not wait to be holy. Do not'}, {'start': '611.680', 'end': '615.600', 'text': 'wait to be humble. Do not wait to be'}, {'start': '613.600', 'end': '617.519', 'text': 'whole. Let the turning happen now. Let'}, {'start': '615.600', 'end': '619.680', 'text': 'the repenting happen now. Let the'}, {'start': '617.519', 'end': '621.040', 'text': 'returning happen now. Because the Lord'}, {'start': '619.680', 'end': '623.200', 'text': 'is not looking for a perfect'}, {'start': '621.040', 'end': '625.920', 'text': 'performance. He is looking for a willing'}, {'start': '623.200', 'end': '627.920', 'text': 'heart. Willing today, not eventually.'}, {'start': '625.920', 'end': '630.000', 'text': "They didn't leave us with gold. They"}, {'start': '627.920', 'end': '632.640', 'text': "didn't leave us with stocks or titles or"}, {'start': '630.000', 'end': '634.720', 'text': 'the keys to great estates. No, the'}, {'start': '632.640', 'end': '637.279', 'text': 'elders are grandmothers with bent backs'}, {'start': '634.720', 'end': '639.120', 'text': 'and iron spirits. our grandfathers with'}, {'start': '637.279', 'end': '641.839', 'text': 'hands like leather and prayers like'}, {'start': '639.120', 'end': '644.720', 'text': 'thunder. They left us something far more'}, {'start': '641.839', 'end': '647.519', 'text': 'valuable wisdom. They left us with the'}, {'start': '644.720', 'end': '650.240', 'text': 'hush that comes after truth is spoken,'}, {'start': '647.519', 'end': '652.320', 'text': 'with parables tucked inside lullabies,'}, {'start': '650.240', 'end': '654.959', 'text': 'with warnings wrapped in love and'}, {'start': '652.320', 'end': '658.240', 'text': 'stories told not just to entertain but'}, {'start': '654.959', 'end': '661.519', 'text': 'to equip. They said, "Baby, the Lord,'}, {'start': '658.240', 'end': '663.920', 'text': 'don\'t wait forever." They said, "Keep'}, {'start': '661.519', 'end': '666.079', 'text': 'your lamp trimmed and burning." They'}, {'start': '663.920', 'end': '669.440', 'text': 'said, "You may not have time to get'}, {'start': '666.079', 'end': '671.680', 'text': 'ready later, so live ready now." And'}, {'start': '669.440', 'end': '675.040', 'text': 'though we smiled and nodded and thought'}, {'start': '671.680', 'end': '677.519', 'text': 'we had time, those old voices echo now,'}, {'start': '675.040', 'end': '679.800', 'text': 'louder than ever, haunting the silence'}, {'start': '677.519', 'end': '682.320', 'text': 'between our mistakes and our second'}, {'start': '679.800', 'end': '685.760', 'text': 'chances. They knew something we have'}, {'start': '682.320', 'end': '687.839', 'text': 'forgotten in this busy modern world.'}, {'start': '685.760', 'end': '690.880', 'text': "They knew that readiness wasn't about"}, {'start': '687.839', 'end': '693.920', 'text': 'fear. It was about respect. They lived'}, {'start': '690.880', 'end': '697.000', 'text': 'like every breath was a gift, every step'}, {'start': '693.920', 'end': '699.519', 'text': 'a testimony, every sunrise a fresh'}, {'start': '697.000', 'end': '701.839', 'text': 'mercy. And when they knelt to pray,'}, {'start': '699.519', 'end': '704.399', 'text': "Lord, how they prayed, it wasn't with"}, {'start': '701.839', 'end': '706.320', 'text': 'flowery words, but with groans the'}, {'start': '704.399', 'end': '708.480', 'text': "heavens understood. They weren't"}, {'start': '706.320', 'end': '710.320', 'text': 'rehearsing religion. They were wrestling'}, {'start': '708.480', 'end': '712.959', 'text': 'with God and leaving the room with peace'}, {'start': '710.320', 'end': '714.959', 'text': 'in their bones. Now we, the children of'}, {'start': '712.959', 'end': '717.120', 'text': 'their sacrifice, the heirs of their long'}, {'start': '714.959', 'end': '719.120', 'text': 'nights and broken backs, we have the'}, {'start': '717.120', 'end': '722.000', 'text': 'audacity to live distracted to claim'}, {'start': '719.120', 'end': '723.959', 'text': 'their god. but ignore his call to repeat'}, {'start': '722.000', 'end': '726.399', 'text': 'their prayers but refuse their'}, {'start': '723.959', 'end': '729.120', 'text': 'discipline. But the wisdom they left us'}, {'start': '726.399', 'end': '731.680', 'text': 'is still here, not gathering dust, not'}, {'start': '729.120', 'end': '733.920', 'text': 'fading with time it waits like a lamp by'}, {'start': '731.680', 'end': '736.880', 'text': 'the door, ready to light the path for'}, {'start': '733.920', 'end': '739.360', 'text': 'those bold enough to walk it. So I ask'}, {'start': '736.880', 'end': '742.079', 'text': 'you, if he comes today, will he find us'}, {'start': '739.360', 'end': '744.560', 'text': 'clinging to noise or clinging what they'}, {'start': '742.079', 'end': '746.800', 'text': "left us? Because our ancestors didn't"}, {'start': '744.560', 'end': '749.519', 'text': 'run their race for us to lose the baton'}, {'start': '746.800', 'end': '752.160', 'text': "in the dark. They didn't cry out to"}, {'start': '749.519', 'end': '753.000', 'text': 'heaven just so we could scroll past our'}, {'start': '752.160', 'end': '756.079', 'text': 'own'}, {'start': '753.000', 'end': '758.760', 'text': 'salvation. Their wisdom is a lamp, but'}, {'start': '756.079', 'end': '761.360', 'text': 'we must carry it, and we must carry it'}, {'start': '758.760', 'end': '764.639', 'text': "now. There is an ache that doesn't show"}, {'start': '761.360', 'end': '767.360', 'text': 'up on Xphrase, a quiet soreness in the'}, {'start': '764.639', 'end': '769.680', 'text': 'spirit, a restlessness that keeps us'}, {'start': '767.360', 'end': '772.720', 'text': 'moving but never settled, working but'}, {'start': '769.680', 'end': '775.680', 'text': 'never fulfilled. It is the ache of an'}, {'start': '772.720', 'end': '778.720', 'text': 'ignored purpose. The deep aching'}, {'start': '775.680', 'end': '781.519', 'text': 'question beneath every distraction. Am I'}, {'start': '778.720', 'end': '783.760', 'text': 'doing what I was born to do? We were not'}, {'start': '781.519', 'end': '786.880', 'text': 'put here just to pay bills and collect'}, {'start': '783.760', 'end': '790.160', 'text': 'likes. Not to chase applause or build a'}, {'start': '786.880', 'end': '792.240', 'text': "name that won't outlast a tombstone. We"}, {'start': '790.160', 'end': '795.680', 'text': 'were placed on this earth with divine'}, {'start': '792.240', 'end': '798.120', 'text': 'intention. Each soul hand formed, each'}, {'start': '795.680', 'end': '801.920', 'text': 'calling whispered before our very first'}, {'start': '798.120', 'end': '804.720', 'text': 'cry. But many of us, Lord help us, have'}, {'start': '801.920', 'end': '807.519', 'text': "chosen the safer road. We've traded"}, {'start': '804.720', 'end': '810.399', 'text': "sacred assignments for comfort. We've"}, {'start': '807.519', 'end': '813.040', 'text': "replaced callings with careers. We've"}, {'start': '810.399', 'end': '815.839', 'text': 'silenced the still small voice with the'}, {'start': '813.040', 'end': '818.560', 'text': 'loud demands of the world. And though'}, {'start': '815.839', 'end': '821.680', 'text': 'our schedules are full, our spirits'}, {'start': '818.560', 'end': '824.639', 'text': 'remain empty, not from lack of success,'}, {'start': '821.680', 'end': '826.959', 'text': 'but from the absence of purpose. You'}, {'start': '824.639', 'end': '830.639', 'text': "can't outrun what was written in your"}, {'start': '826.959', 'end': '833.360', 'text': 'spirit. You can try quiet it with noise,'}, {'start': '830.639', 'end': '835.600', 'text': 'with busyiness, with approval, but'}, {'start': '833.360', 'end': '838.440', 'text': 'purpose has a way of haunting you in the'}, {'start': '835.600', 'end': '840.959', 'text': 'midnight hour. It will find you in'}, {'start': '838.440', 'end': '843.440', 'text': 'traffic. It will call to you while'}, {'start': '840.959', 'end': '846.560', 'text': "you're brushing your teeth. It will"}, {'start': '843.440', 'end': '849.839', 'text': 'visit you in your dreams, asking, "Why'}, {'start': '846.560', 'end': '853.199', 'text': 'haven\'t you begun?" And still so many'}, {'start': '849.839', 'end': '855.519', 'text': 'keep running. Not because they are evil,'}, {'start': '853.199', 'end': '857.839', 'text': 'but because purpose requires courage,'}, {'start': '855.519', 'end': '860.880', 'text': 'and it is easier to hide in routine than'}, {'start': '857.839', 'end': '863.360', 'text': 'to rise into calling. But I say this'}, {'start': '860.880', 'end': '866.480', 'text': 'with love and with urgency. There will'}, {'start': '863.360', 'end': '868.639', 'text': 'be no excuses when he returns. The gift'}, {'start': '866.480', 'end': '871.279', 'text': "you buried won't be graded on how safe"}, {'start': '868.639', 'end': '874.000', 'text': 'it stayed, but on how boldly you used'}, {'start': '871.279', 'end': '876.880', 'text': 'it. So if the Lord comes today not in'}, {'start': '874.000', 'end': '880.079', 'text': 'thunder, but in quiet question, will you'}, {'start': '876.880', 'end': '884.480', 'text': 'be able to say, "Yes, I answered the'}, {'start': '880.079', 'end': '887.279', 'text': 'call." Yes, I wrote the book. Yes, I'}, {'start': '884.480', 'end': '889.120', 'text': 'forgave the one who broke me. Yes, I'}, {'start': '887.279', 'end': '892.079', 'text': 'used the voice you gave me to speak'}, {'start': '889.120', 'end': '894.320', 'text': 'light into the dark. Or will purpose,'}, {'start': '892.079', 'end': '897.279', 'text': 'that quiet ache, be the one thing you'}, {'start': '894.320', 'end': '899.560', 'text': 'meant to honor, but never did. There is'}, {'start': '897.279', 'end': '902.399', 'text': 'a stark difference between living and'}, {'start': '899.560', 'end': '904.959', 'text': 'existing. To live, my beloved, is to'}, {'start': '902.399', 'end': '907.360', 'text': 'breathe with intention. To wake in the'}, {'start': '904.959', 'end': '909.760', 'text': 'morning and choose create, to love, to'}, {'start': '907.360', 'end': '911.680', 'text': 'serve. To live is to meet the day with'}, {'start': '909.760', 'end': '914.560', 'text': 'purpose in your eyes and kindness on'}, {'start': '911.680', 'end': '916.800', 'text': 'your lips. It is to take each moment not'}, {'start': '914.560', 'end': '920.000', 'text': 'as something you endure but as something'}, {'start': '916.800', 'end': '921.920', 'text': 'you transform, but to exist, to simply'}, {'start': '920.000', 'end': '923.920', 'text': 'go through the motions, to drift from'}, {'start': '921.920', 'end': '927.040', 'text': 'one hour to the next, from one'}, {'start': '923.920', 'end': '929.839', 'text': 'distraction to another. That child is'}, {'start': '927.040', 'end': '931.600', 'text': 'the death of the soul. The slow and'}, {'start': '929.839', 'end': '934.240', 'text': 'steady death of the dreams you were'}, {'start': '931.600', 'end': '937.440', 'text': 'meant to birth. The death of the courage'}, {'start': '934.240', 'end': '939.920', 'text': 'to stand up and say, "I matter. My life'}, {'start': '937.440', 'end': '942.800', 'text': 'matters. I am part of something greater'}, {'start': '939.920', 'end': '945.040', 'text': 'than myself. To exist is to leave no'}, {'start': '942.800', 'end': '947.920', 'text': 'mark. To never reach beyond the comfort'}, {'start': '945.040', 'end': '950.720', 'text': 'zone of your own desires. It is a life'}, {'start': '947.920', 'end': '953.519', 'text': 'lived in autopilot where every day feels'}, {'start': '950.720', 'end': '956.399', 'text': 'like the one before. Too many of us have'}, {'start': '953.519', 'end': '958.959', 'text': "settled into existing. We've convinced"}, {'start': '956.399', 'end': '961.199', 'text': 'ourselves that as long as we wake up and'}, {'start': '958.959', 'end': '963.399', 'text': 'get through the day we are living. We'}, {'start': '961.199', 'end': '965.759', 'text': 'fill our schedules, fill our hearts with'}, {'start': '963.399', 'end': '968.000', 'text': 'distractions, fill our bodies with food'}, {'start': '965.759', 'end': '971.680', 'text': 'to numb the emptiness, and still wonder'}, {'start': '968.000', 'end': '974.240', 'text': 'why we feel so empty. But deep inside, I'}, {'start': '971.680', 'end': '976.399', 'text': 'know you feel it. That pull, that ache,'}, {'start': '974.240', 'end': '978.880', 'text': 'that whisper that says, "This is not'}, {'start': '976.399', 'end': '981.519', 'text': 'all. There is for you, there is more."'}, {'start': '978.880', 'end': '983.199', 'text': 'And yet many are afraid to truly live.'}, {'start': '981.519', 'end': '984.800', 'text': 'We are afraid of what it might cost to'}, {'start': '983.199', 'end': '986.480', 'text': 'step out of the shadows and into the'}, {'start': '984.800', 'end': '988.399', 'text': 'light. We are afraid of the'}, {'start': '986.480', 'end': '990.720', 'text': 'vulnerability it takes to face our own'}, {'start': '988.399', 'end': '992.959', 'text': 'greatness. We are afraid of the work,'}, {'start': '990.720', 'end': '995.120', 'text': 'the risk, the responsibility of stepping'}, {'start': '992.959', 'end': '998.000', 'text': 'into the fullness of who we were made to'}, {'start': '995.120', 'end': '1000.160', 'text': 'be. But if the Lord comes today, will he'}, {'start': '998.000', 'end': '1002.720', 'text': 'find you existing moving from task to'}, {'start': '1000.160', 'end': '1005.600', 'text': 'task, from distraction to distraction,'}, {'start': '1002.720', 'end': '1008.160', 'text': 'or will he find you alive, fully awake,'}, {'start': '1005.600', 'end': '1010.880', 'text': 'fully engaged, fully living the life you'}, {'start': '1008.160', 'end': '1013.120', 'text': 'are meant to live. Living means standing'}, {'start': '1010.880', 'end': '1015.680', 'text': 'tall in the face of adversity and'}, {'start': '1013.120', 'end': '1018.480', 'text': 'saying, "This is my journey, and I will'}, {'start': '1015.680', 'end': '1021.279', 'text': 'walk it with purpose." Living means'}, {'start': '1018.480', 'end': '1024.319', 'text': 'loving with no guarantee of return.'}, {'start': '1021.279', 'end': '1026.640', 'text': 'Serving with no promise of recognition.'}, {'start': '1024.319', 'end': '1030.400', 'text': 'Living means allowing yourself to feel'}, {'start': '1026.640', 'end': '1032.480', 'text': 'deeply the pain, the joy, the anger, the'}, {'start': '1030.400', 'end': '1036.000', 'text': 'love, because it is all part of being'}, {'start': '1032.480', 'end': '1039.039', 'text': 'human. Pardon of being alive. I ask you'}, {'start': '1036.000', 'end': '1041.199', 'text': 'now, not in judgment, but in love. Will'}, {'start': '1039.039', 'end': '1044.319', 'text': 'you look back on your life and say you'}, {'start': '1041.199', 'end': '1046.880', 'text': 'lived? Or will you, like too many, look'}, {'start': '1044.319', 'end': '1049.360', 'text': 'at the hours, the days, the years, and'}, {'start': '1046.880', 'end': '1053.039', 'text': 'wonder where it all went, wondering why'}, {'start': '1049.360', 'end': '1056.240', 'text': 'you spent so much time just existing.'}, {'start': '1053.039', 'end': '1058.720', 'text': 'The choice is yours right now, this very'}, {'start': '1056.240', 'end': '1061.120', 'text': 'moment. You can choose to live fully,'}, {'start': '1058.720', 'end': '1062.960', 'text': 'boldly with intention, or you can'}, {'start': '1061.120', 'end': '1066.080', 'text': 'continue to exist in the quiet'}, {'start': '1062.960', 'end': '1068.160', 'text': 'resignation of a life left unlived. And'}, {'start': '1066.080', 'end': '1071.120', 'text': 'when the Lord comes today, will he find'}, {'start': '1068.160', 'end': '1073.919', 'text': 'you alive? Or will he find a soul that'}, {'start': '1071.120', 'end': '1077.120', 'text': 'never fully awakened? There is a truth'}, {'start': '1073.919', 'end': '1079.320', 'text': 'that many fear, yet it is as certain as'}, {'start': '1077.120', 'end': '1082.160', 'text': 'the rising of the sun, our time is'}, {'start': '1079.320', 'end': '1085.039', 'text': 'finite. No matter how many days we hope'}, {'start': '1082.160', 'end': '1087.360', 'text': 'for, no matter how many hours we try to'}, {'start': '1085.039', 'end': '1090.400', 'text': 'stretch, we are all bound by a clock'}, {'start': '1087.360', 'end': '1092.960', 'text': 'that does not stop. Each breath we take,'}, {'start': '1090.400', 'end': '1095.120', 'text': 'each step we make is a moment closer to'}, {'start': '1092.960', 'end': '1097.440', 'text': 'the final hour, a moment closer to the'}, {'start': '1095.120', 'end': '1100.240', 'text': 'end of our earthly journey. We cannot'}, {'start': '1097.440', 'end': '1101.919', 'text': 'outrun it. We cannot bargain with it. We'}, {'start': '1100.240', 'end': '1104.640', 'text': 'cannot fill the hours with empty'}, {'start': '1101.919', 'end': '1106.880', 'text': 'promises or future hopes. We must reckon'}, {'start': '1104.640', 'end': '1109.280', 'text': 'with it. We must make peace with the'}, {'start': '1106.880', 'end': '1111.679', 'text': 'fact that every decision we make, every'}, {'start': '1109.280', 'end': '1114.799', 'text': 'relationship we nurture, every love we'}, {'start': '1111.679', 'end': '1117.600', 'text': 'choose is a reflection of how understand'}, {'start': '1114.799', 'end': '1120.480', 'text': 'the briefness of our time here. And yet'}, {'start': '1117.600', 'end': '1123.120', 'text': 'we live as if time is abundant, as if it'}, {'start': '1120.480', 'end': '1125.440', 'text': 'will stretch forever. We delay the'}, {'start': '1123.120', 'end': '1128.240', 'text': 'things that matter most, assuming we'}, {'start': '1125.440', 'end': '1130.559', 'text': 'will have another day to make it right.'}, {'start': '1128.240', 'end': '1133.320', 'text': 'We waste precious hours on things that'}, {'start': '1130.559', 'end': '1135.440', 'text': 'fade and pass, filling our lives with'}, {'start': '1133.320', 'end': '1137.120', 'text': 'distractions with unimportant things'}, {'start': '1135.440', 'end': '1139.600', 'text': 'that mean nothing when it is all said'}, {'start': '1137.120', 'end': '1141.600', 'text': 'and done. We promise ourselves that we'}, {'start': '1139.600', 'end': '1143.760', 'text': 'will get to what matters tomorrow, but'}, {'start': '1141.600', 'end': '1146.000', 'text': 'we do not know if tomorrow will come.'}, {'start': '1143.760', 'end': '1147.919', 'text': 'The clock is ticking. The sands are'}, {'start': '1146.000', 'end': '1150.240', 'text': 'falling through the hourglass, and for'}, {'start': '1147.919', 'end': '1152.480', 'text': 'many of us there is a slow realization'}, {'start': '1150.240', 'end': '1155.200', 'text': 'that we have not lived with the urgency'}, {'start': '1152.480', 'end': '1157.120', 'text': 'of one who knows their time is a gift.'}, {'start': '1155.200', 'end': '1159.360', 'text': 'We have not loved with the fullness that'}, {'start': '1157.120', 'end': '1161.760', 'text': 'we should. We have not forgiven with the'}, {'start': '1159.360', 'end': '1163.600', 'text': 'tenderness we are called to. And we have'}, {'start': '1161.760', 'end': '1166.799', 'text': 'not pursued our purpose with the vigor'}, {'start': '1163.600', 'end': '1170.240', 'text': 'we once dreamed of. But today, in this'}, {'start': '1166.799', 'end': '1173.039', 'text': 'very moment, we still have a chance. We'}, {'start': '1170.240', 'end': '1174.960', 'text': 'still have a chance to turn the page. We'}, {'start': '1173.039', 'end': '1177.440', 'text': 'still have a chance to wake up from our'}, {'start': '1174.960', 'end': '1180.320', 'text': 'slumber and see time for what it truly'}, {'start': '1177.440', 'end': '1183.039', 'text': 'is a gift, but also a reminder of how'}, {'start': '1180.320', 'end': '1186.320', 'text': 'fragile we are, how quickly we can be'}, {'start': '1183.039', 'end': '1188.320', 'text': 'called home. If the Lord comes today,'}, {'start': '1186.320', 'end': '1191.120', 'text': 'will he find us still in the middle of'}, {'start': '1188.320', 'end': '1194.000', 'text': 'our procrastination, still waiting for'}, {'start': '1191.120', 'end': '1196.960', 'text': 'the right moment, still filling our time'}, {'start': '1194.000', 'end': '1199.039', 'text': 'with things that have no eternal weight?'}, {'start': '1196.960', 'end': '1201.520', 'text': 'Or will he find us living with the'}, {'start': '1199.039', 'end': '1204.400', 'text': 'urgency of one who understands that time'}, {'start': '1201.520', 'end': '1207.039', 'text': 'is not promised? That this moment is the'}, {'start': '1204.400', 'end': '1210.400', 'text': 'one we have and that we must use it to'}, {'start': '1207.039', 'end': '1212.039', 'text': 'its fullest. Time does not wait for our'}, {'start': '1210.400', 'end': '1214.880', 'text': 'convenience and neither does our'}, {'start': '1212.039', 'end': '1217.520', 'text': 'purpose. So I ask you before you turn'}, {'start': '1214.880', 'end': '1219.000', 'text': 'away from this moment to reflect. How'}, {'start': '1217.520', 'end': '1221.360', 'text': "are you using the time you've been"}, {'start': '1219.000', 'end': '1224.000', 'text': 'given? What have you put off that is'}, {'start': '1221.360', 'end': '1226.440', 'text': 'crying out to be done now? What have you'}, {'start': '1224.000', 'end': '1229.840', 'text': 'yet to forgive, yet to say, yet to'}, {'start': '1226.440', 'end': '1232.240', 'text': 'become? And when Lord comes today, may'}, {'start': '1229.840', 'end': '1234.159', 'text': 'he find you fully awake, fully present,'}, {'start': '1232.240', 'end': '1236.640', 'text': 'and fully engaged in the life that is'}, {'start': '1234.159', 'end': '1238.720', 'text': 'yours to live. One of the greatest'}, {'start': '1236.640', 'end': '1241.520', 'text': 'illusions we carry with us is the idea'}, {'start': '1238.720', 'end': '1243.600', 'text': 'that we are in control. We believe we'}, {'start': '1241.520', 'end': '1245.760', 'text': 'hold the reigns of our lives, that the'}, {'start': '1243.600', 'end': '1248.400', 'text': 'path we walk is ours to choose from'}, {'start': '1245.760', 'end': '1250.960', 'text': 'beginning to and we speak of free will.'}, {'start': '1248.400', 'end': '1252.720', 'text': 'And yes, we make choices every day. But'}, {'start': '1250.960', 'end': '1255.039', 'text': 'there are things beyond our control,'}, {'start': '1252.720', 'end': '1257.120', 'text': 'things that shape our journey, shape our'}, {'start': '1255.039', 'end': '1259.200', 'text': 'very being, that we did not choose and'}, {'start': '1257.120', 'end': '1261.760', 'text': 'cannot change. The heartaches, the'}, {'start': '1259.200', 'end': '1264.000', 'text': 'losses, the betrayals, the seasons of'}, {'start': '1261.760', 'end': '1266.000', 'text': 'wilderness that come without warning.'}, {'start': '1264.000', 'end': '1268.640', 'text': 'The pain we did not invite, but was'}, {'start': '1266.000', 'end': '1270.880', 'text': 'given to us all the same. These are not'}, {'start': '1268.640', 'end': '1273.120', 'text': 'of our choosing, yet they are a part of'}, {'start': '1270.880', 'end': '1275.039', 'text': 'the journey. They are the chapters of'}, {'start': '1273.120', 'end': '1277.280', 'text': 'the story that we did not write, but'}, {'start': '1275.039', 'end': '1280.240', 'text': 'must walk through with faith or without'}, {'start': '1277.280', 'end': '1283.200', 'text': 'it. Too often we cling to the illusion'}, {'start': '1280.240', 'end': '1285.520', 'text': 'that we control our destiny. We plot and'}, {'start': '1283.200', 'end': '1287.520', 'text': 'plan, dream and scheme. And yet there'}, {'start': '1285.520', 'end': '1290.360', 'text': 'are moments when life comes rushing in'}, {'start': '1287.520', 'end': '1292.480', 'text': 'unexpected, uninvited, beyond our'}, {'start': '1290.360', 'end': '1294.799', 'text': 'understanding. And when those moments'}, {'start': '1292.480', 'end': '1297.400', 'text': 'arrive, they challenge the very thing we'}, {'start': '1294.799', 'end': '1300.840', 'text': 'hold on to most tightly, our sense of'}, {'start': '1297.400', 'end': '1304.080', 'text': 'control. But true readiness is not about'}, {'start': '1300.840', 'end': '1306.480', 'text': 'control. Readiness is about surrender.'}, {'start': '1304.080', 'end': '1308.880', 'text': 'It is about trusting that even when we'}, {'start': '1306.480', 'end': '1310.960', 'text': 'do not understand the path, even when'}, {'start': '1308.880', 'end': '1314.000', 'text': 'the darkness is thick and the light'}, {'start': '1310.960', 'end': '1316.640', 'text': 'feels too far away, there is a force at'}, {'start': '1314.000', 'end': '1319.440', 'text': 'work that is greater than us. A hand'}, {'start': '1316.640', 'end': '1323.440', 'text': 'guiding us, a love surrounding us even'}, {'start': '1319.440', 'end': '1325.760', 'text': 'when we cannot see it. It is in moments'}, {'start': '1323.440', 'end': '1328.720', 'text': 'when we let go of our desperate need to'}, {'start': '1325.760', 'end': '1331.360', 'text': 'control that we find the deepest peace.'}, {'start': '1328.720', 'end': '1334.159', 'text': 'It is in surrendering not to failure but'}, {'start': '1331.360', 'end': '1336.080', 'text': 'to faith. Not to weakness but to the'}, {'start': '1334.159', 'end': '1338.880', 'text': 'strength that comes from knowing we are'}, {'start': '1336.080', 'end': '1341.440', 'text': 'not alone. We do not control when the'}, {'start': '1338.880', 'end': '1344.799', 'text': 'storm comes but we can control how we'}, {'start': '1341.440', 'end': '1347.520', 'text': 'face it. Do not control how long we have'}, {'start': '1344.799', 'end': '1350.559', 'text': 'on this earth but we can control what we'}, {'start': '1347.520', 'end': '1352.960', 'text': 'do with the time we are given. We do not'}, {'start': '1350.559', 'end': '1355.120', 'text': 'control the hands we are dealt but we'}, {'start': '1352.960', 'end': '1358.159', 'text': 'can choose to play them with grace, with'}, {'start': '1355.120', 'end': '1360.559', 'text': 'courage, with purpose. So when the Lord'}, {'start': '1358.159', 'end': '1363.280', 'text': 'comes today, will he find us still'}, {'start': '1360.559', 'end': '1365.200', 'text': 'clinging to the illusion of control,'}, {'start': '1363.280', 'end': '1368.159', 'text': 'still trying to make things fit our'}, {'start': '1365.200', 'end': '1370.320', 'text': 'desires and our plans? Or will he find'}, {'start': '1368.159', 'end': '1373.280', 'text': 'us finally at peace, not because'}, {'start': '1370.320', 'end': '1376.000', 'text': 'everything is as we wanted, but because'}, {'start': '1373.280', 'end': '1379.200', 'text': 'we trusted that everything in the end'}, {'start': '1376.000', 'end': '1381.520', 'text': 'will unfold as it was meant to. To be'}, {'start': '1379.200', 'end': '1384.559', 'text': 'ready is not to control the outcome of'}, {'start': '1381.520', 'end': '1387.600', 'text': 'our lives, but to trust that the one who'}, {'start': '1384.559', 'end': '1389.679', 'text': 'holds the stars also holds our hearts.'}, {'start': '1387.600', 'end': '1392.480', 'text': 'That is the kind of readiness that makes'}, {'start': '1389.679', 'end': '1394.640', 'text': 'us whole. That is the kind of readiness'}, {'start': '1392.480', 'end': '1397.360', 'text': 'that prepares us for the life we were'}, {'start': '1394.640', 'end': '1399.200', 'text': 'truly meant to live. There are moments'}, {'start': '1397.360', 'end': '1401.440', 'text': 'in life when we are faced with the'}, {'start': '1399.200', 'end': '1404.240', 'text': 'inevitable truth that we cannot walk'}, {'start': '1401.440', 'end': '1406.720', 'text': 'this journey alone. The weight of our'}, {'start': '1404.240', 'end': '1408.640', 'text': 'burdens, the enormity of our questions,'}, {'start': '1406.720', 'end': '1410.520', 'text': 'the depth of our grief. These are not'}, {'start': '1408.640', 'end': '1412.640', 'text': 'things we were meant to carry by'}, {'start': '1410.520', 'end': '1414.559', 'text': 'ourselves. We were created for'}, {'start': '1412.640', 'end': '1417.360', 'text': 'community, for connection, for the'}, {'start': '1414.559', 'end': '1420.559', 'text': 'loving embrace of one another. Yet too'}, {'start': '1417.360', 'end': '1423.679', 'text': 'often we retreat. We hide behind walls'}, {'start': '1420.559', 'end': '1426.320', 'text': 'of pride, shame, or fear as if walking'}, {'start': '1423.679', 'end': '1428.240', 'text': 'this road alone is a sign of strength.'}, {'start': '1426.320', 'end': '1429.960', 'text': 'We wear the mask of independence,'}, {'start': '1428.240', 'end': '1433.039', 'text': "telling ourselves that we don't need"}, {'start': '1429.960', 'end': '1434.559', 'text': 'anyone. But in reality, this is a lie.'}, {'start': '1433.039', 'end': '1437.280', 'text': 'We tell ourselves to avoid the'}, {'start': '1434.559', 'end': '1439.440', 'text': 'vulnerability of needing others. To need'}, {'start': '1437.280', 'end': '1441.440', 'text': 'someone, to truly need someone is to'}, {'start': '1439.440', 'end': '1443.919', 'text': 'admit our fragility, our human'}, {'start': '1441.440', 'end': '1445.679', 'text': 'limitations, our imperfection. But my'}, {'start': '1443.919', 'end': '1447.840', 'text': 'dear, let me speak plainly.'}, {'start': '1445.679', 'end': '1450.159', 'text': 'Vulnerability is not weakness. It is'}, {'start': '1447.840', 'end': '1451.919', 'text': 'strength. It takes courage to admit that'}, {'start': '1450.159', 'end': '1453.840', 'text': 'you are not whole on your own. That you'}, {'start': '1451.919', 'end': '1456.000', 'text': 'need help. That you need others to lift'}, {'start': '1453.840', 'end': '1458.400', 'text': 'you when you cannot stand on your own.'}, {'start': '1456.000', 'end': '1460.400', 'text': 'It takes courage to allow someone into'}, {'start': '1458.400', 'end': '1462.240', 'text': 'the deepest parts of your heart and let'}, {'start': '1460.400', 'end': '1464.880', 'text': 'them see you as you truly are not'}, {'start': '1462.240', 'end': '1466.880', 'text': 'perfect but real. And when we open'}, {'start': '1464.880', 'end': '1469.360', 'text': 'ourselves to one another, we make room'}, {'start': '1466.880', 'end': '1472.400', 'text': 'for grace. Grace in the way we speak to'}, {'start': '1469.360', 'end': '1475.440', 'text': 'each other, grace in the way we forgive,'}, {'start': '1472.400', 'end': '1476.960', 'text': 'grace in the way we serve, in and it is'}, {'start': '1475.440', 'end': '1479.200', 'text': 'not what we have accumulated that'}, {'start': '1476.960', 'end': '1482.320', 'text': 'matters, but the relationships we have'}, {'start': '1479.200', 'end': '1483.840', 'text': 'nurtured. It is not our possessions, but'}, {'start': '1482.320', 'end': '1486.640', 'text': 'our people, the ones who have walked'}, {'start': '1483.840', 'end': '1488.480', 'text': 'with us, cried with us, and laughed with'}, {'start': '1486.640', 'end': '1491.840', 'text': 'us in the darkest and brightest moments'}, {'start': '1488.480', 'end': '1494.720', 'text': 'of life. If he comes today, will he find'}, {'start': '1491.840', 'end': '1497.039', 'text': 'you isolated in your pride? Will he find'}, {'start': '1494.720', 'end': '1500.400', 'text': 'you still clinging to the idea that you'}, {'start': '1497.039', 'end': '1502.640', 'text': 'must bear all burdens alone? Or will he'}, {'start': '1500.400', 'end': '1505.120', 'text': 'find you surrounded by the love of those'}, {'start': '1502.640', 'end': '1507.240', 'text': 'who helped you carry your load? Those'}, {'start': '1505.120', 'end': '1509.760', 'text': 'who walked beside you even when you'}, {'start': '1507.240', 'end': '1513.279', 'text': 'stumbled, those who saw your heart and'}, {'start': '1509.760', 'end': '1515.360', 'text': 'held it gently. Because you see, when we'}, {'start': '1513.279', 'end': '1517.440', 'text': 'are ready, we are not alone. We have'}, {'start': '1515.360', 'end': '1519.840', 'text': 'loved deeply, given freely, and received'}, {'start': '1517.440', 'end': '1522.080', 'text': 'with gratitude. The Lord never intended'}, {'start': '1519.840', 'end': '1524.080', 'text': 'for us to journey alone. And when the'}, {'start': '1522.080', 'end': '1527.039', 'text': 'time comes, he will gather us not in'}, {'start': '1524.080', 'end': '1529.840', 'text': 'isolation, but in unity and community.'}, {'start': '1527.039', 'end': '1532.400', 'text': 'So ask yourself now child, how have you'}, {'start': '1529.840', 'end': '1534.960', 'text': 'loved? How have you allowed others to'}, {'start': '1532.400', 'end': '1537.520', 'text': 'love you? When the Lord comes today,'}, {'start': '1534.960', 'end': '1539.600', 'text': 'will he find you alone? Or will he find'}, {'start': '1537.520', 'end': '1543.120', 'text': 'you with the ones who have shared in'}, {'start': '1539.600', 'end': '1546.320', 'text': 'your joy, your sorrow, and your grace?'}, {'start': '1543.120', 'end': '1548.720', 'text': 'We speak often of legacy, but we rarely'}, {'start': '1546.320', 'end': '1552.279', 'text': 'take the time to truly consider what'}, {'start': '1548.720', 'end': '1554.720', 'text': 'that word means. Legacy is not about'}, {'start': '1552.279', 'end': '1557.600', 'text': 'monuments, nor is it about the stories'}, {'start': '1554.720', 'end': '1559.679', 'text': "others tell about us once we're gone. A"}, {'start': '1557.600', 'end': '1562.080', 'text': 'true legacy is about the life we live'}, {'start': '1559.679', 'end': '1564.400', 'text': 'while we are here, the choices we make,'}, {'start': '1562.080', 'end': '1567.120', 'text': 'the seeds we plant, the hands we reach'}, {'start': '1564.400', 'end': '1569.600', 'text': 'out to, and the hearts we touch. It is'}, {'start': '1567.120', 'end': '1572.880', 'text': 'about the impact we leave behind, not in'}, {'start': '1569.600', 'end': '1574.960', 'text': 'grandeur, but in grace. And yet so many'}, {'start': '1572.880', 'end': '1578.240', 'text': 'of us are too caught up in the rush of'}, {'start': '1574.960', 'end': '1581.279', 'text': 'the world, striving for recognition,'}, {'start': '1578.240', 'end': '1584.640', 'text': 'seeking fame, or building empires of'}, {'start': '1581.279', 'end': '1586.960', 'text': 'stone that will crumble with time. We'}, {'start': '1584.640', 'end': '1590.640', 'text': 'forget that the greatest legacy we can'}, {'start': '1586.960', 'end': '1593.279', 'text': 'leave is not in things it is in people.'}, {'start': '1590.640', 'end': '1595.840', 'text': 'It is in the love we have given, the'}, {'start': '1593.279', 'end': '1598.000', 'text': 'wisdom we have shared, and the kindness'}, {'start': '1595.840', 'end': '1600.080', 'text': 'we have extended. What will they'}, {'start': '1598.000', 'end': '1602.559', 'text': 'remember of you when your name no longer'}, {'start': '1600.080', 'end': '1604.400', 'text': 'graces the lips of those who knew you?'}, {'start': '1602.559', 'end': '1607.120', 'text': 'Will they remember your achievements,'}, {'start': '1604.400', 'end': '1608.720', 'text': 'your successes, your accolades? Or will'}, {'start': '1607.120', 'end': '1611.200', 'text': 'they remember the way you made them'}, {'start': '1608.720', 'end': '1613.440', 'text': 'feel? The way you listened when they'}, {'start': '1611.200', 'end': '1615.279', 'text': 'needed someone. Hear them the way you'}, {'start': '1613.440', 'end': '1617.840', 'text': 'forgave when the world told you to hold'}, {'start': '1615.279', 'end': '1620.240', 'text': 'a grudge. The way you served when others'}, {'start': '1617.840', 'end': '1622.240', 'text': 'turned away. The way you loved not'}, {'start': '1620.240', 'end': '1625.120', 'text': 'because you had to, but because you'}, {'start': '1622.240', 'end': '1627.039', 'text': 'chose to. True legacy is found in the'}, {'start': '1625.120', 'end': '1629.360', 'text': 'hearts of the ones we leave behind. In'}, {'start': '1627.039', 'end': '1631.600', 'text': 'the ripple effects of kindness, in'}, {'start': '1629.360', 'end': '1634.000', 'text': 'ripple of compassion that continues long'}, {'start': '1631.600', 'end': '1636.799', 'text': 'after we are gone. It is in the lessons'}, {'start': '1634.000', 'end': '1639.760', 'text': "we've taught, not by words alone, but by"}, {'start': '1636.799', 'end': '1642.000', 'text': 'example. How we treated the poor, how we'}, {'start': '1639.760', 'end': '1644.640', 'text': 'lifted the brokenhearted, how we lived'}, {'start': '1642.000', 'end': '1647.679', 'text': 'with integrity when no one was watching.'}, {'start': '1644.640', 'end': '1650.799', 'text': 'That beloved is the legacy that endures.'}, {'start': '1647.679', 'end': '1653.679', 'text': 'And so when he comes today, will he find'}, {'start': '1650.799', 'end': '1655.600', 'text': 'us with lives marked by true legacy?'}, {'start': '1653.679', 'end': '1657.760', 'text': 'Will he find us with hearts full of'}, {'start': '1655.600', 'end': '1659.840', 'text': 'love, full of service, full of'}, {'start': '1657.760', 'end': '1662.799', 'text': 'compassion, even when no one was there'}, {'start': '1659.840', 'end': '1665.600', 'text': 'to see? Or will he find us with nothing'}, {'start': '1662.799', 'end': '1667.919', 'text': 'but empty deeds and empty dreams, having'}, {'start': '1665.600', 'end': '1670.240', 'text': 'lived for ourselves, having neglected'}, {'start': '1667.919', 'end': '1673.039', 'text': "the called to love others as we've been"}, {'start': '1670.240', 'end': '1675.840', 'text': 'loved? The truth is our legacy begins'}, {'start': '1673.039', 'end': '1678.559', 'text': 'now. It begins in every decision we'}, {'start': '1675.840', 'end': '1681.120', 'text': 'make. It begins in the way we speak to'}, {'start': '1678.559', 'end': '1683.679', 'text': 'others, the way we carry our burdens,'}, {'start': '1681.120', 'end': '1685.360', 'text': 'the way we choose to forgive. And it'}, {'start': '1683.679', 'end': '1687.840', 'text': "will be measured not by what we've"}, {'start': '1685.360', 'end': '1691.120', 'text': 'gained for ourselves, but by what we'}, {'start': '1687.840', 'end': '1693.840', 'text': 'have freely given. So I ask you now,'}, {'start': '1691.120', 'end': '1696.240', 'text': 'what kind of legacy are you building? If'}, {'start': '1693.840', 'end': '1699.039', 'text': 'the Lord comes today, will he find you'}, {'start': '1696.240', 'end': '1701.480', 'text': 'with a legacy of love and truth, or with'}, {'start': '1699.039', 'end': '1704.320', 'text': 'a legacy of things that never truly'}, {'start': '1701.480', 'end': '1706.880', 'text': 'mattered? There is a quiet but insistent'}, {'start': '1704.320', 'end': '1709.919', 'text': 'truth that haunts many of us. The fear'}, {'start': '1706.880', 'end': '1711.760', 'text': 'of not being enough. We go through our'}, {'start': '1709.919', 'end': '1713.840', 'text': 'days carrying this heavy weight. The'}, {'start': '1711.760', 'end': '1716.000', 'text': 'fear that we are not doing enough, not'}, {'start': '1713.840', 'end': '1718.399', 'text': 'giving enough, not loving enough, not'}, {'start': '1716.000', 'end': '1720.720', 'text': 'living enough. We measure ourselves'}, {'start': '1718.399', 'end': '1722.720', 'text': 'against others. We compare our journeys'}, {'start': '1720.720', 'end': '1725.679', 'text': 'to theirs and we wonder if we are'}, {'start': '1722.720', 'end': '1728.960', 'text': 'falling short. This fear, this quiet'}, {'start': '1725.679', 'end': '1730.960', 'text': 'ache in the heart can paralyze us. It'}, {'start': '1728.960', 'end': '1733.600', 'text': 'can make us question our worth, our'}, {'start': '1730.960', 'end': '1736.159', 'text': 'value, and our purpose. But here is the'}, {'start': '1733.600', 'end': '1738.240', 'text': 'truth I need you to hear today. You are'}, {'start': '1736.159', 'end': '1741.120', 'text': "enough not because of what you've"}, {'start': '1738.240', 'end': '1743.039', 'text': "achieved or what you've accumulated. Not"}, {'start': '1741.120', 'end': '1745.520', 'text': 'because of the titles you wear or the'}, {'start': '1743.039', 'end': '1748.240', 'text': "status you've attained. You are enough"}, {'start': '1745.520', 'end': '1750.159', 'text': 'simply because you exist because you'}, {'start': '1748.240', 'end': '1752.880', 'text': 'were created with love, with purpose,'}, {'start': '1750.159', 'end': '1754.880', 'text': 'with intention. The world may try to'}, {'start': '1752.880', 'end': '1757.679', 'text': 'convince you otherwise. It may tell you'}, {'start': '1754.880', 'end': '1759.360', 'text': 'that you need more, do more, be more,'}, {'start': '1757.679', 'end': '1762.320', 'text': 'but that is not the measure of your'}, {'start': '1759.360', 'end': '1764.480', 'text': 'worth. You are enough because just as'}, {'start': '1762.320', 'end': '1767.520', 'text': 'you are, you are a part of something'}, {'start': '1764.480', 'end': '1769.360', 'text': 'greater than yourself. You are a living'}, {'start': '1767.520', 'end': '1771.679', 'text': 'testament to the grace of the one who'}, {'start': '1769.360', 'end': '1774.559', 'text': 'formed you, who knows you, who calls you'}, {'start': '1771.679', 'end': '1777.200', 'text': 'his own. The fear of not being enough'}, {'start': '1774.559', 'end': '1779.600', 'text': 'keeps us trapped in cycles of self.'}, {'start': '1777.200', 'end': '1782.640', 'text': 'Doubt constantly chasing a version of'}, {'start': '1779.600', 'end': '1785.120', 'text': 'ourselves that we think we must become.'}, {'start': '1782.640', 'end': '1787.440', 'text': 'We waste time trying to prove something'}, {'start': '1785.120', 'end': '1790.080', 'text': 'to a world that is constantly shifting'}, {'start': '1787.440', 'end': '1792.240', 'text': 'its standards instead of simply resting'}, {'start': '1790.080', 'end': '1794.960', 'text': 'in the truth that we are enough as we'}, {'start': '1792.240', 'end': '1798.240', 'text': 'are loved, accepted and called to'}, {'start': '1794.960', 'end': '1801.360', 'text': 'greatness just as we are. But the enemy'}, {'start': '1798.240', 'end': '1804.200', 'text': 'of the soul is cunning. It convinces us'}, {'start': '1801.360', 'end': '1807.279', 'text': 'that we must strive, must prove, must'}, {'start': '1804.200', 'end': '1810.000', 'text': 'earn. It tell us that if we are not'}, {'start': '1807.279', 'end': '1812.120', 'text': 'perfect, we are worthless. that if we'}, {'start': '1810.000', 'end': '1814.960', 'text': 'are not constantly advancing, we are'}, {'start': '1812.120', 'end': '1818.240', 'text': 'failing. But the truth is the pressure'}, {'start': '1814.960', 'end': '1820.960', 'text': 'to perform is not of God. The Lord does'}, {'start': '1818.240', 'end': '1823.399', 'text': 'not require perfection. He does not'}, {'start': '1820.960', 'end': '1826.520', 'text': 'measure us by our mistakes, by our'}, {'start': '1823.399', 'end': '1829.919', 'text': "missteps, or by the world's arbitrary"}, {'start': '1826.520', 'end': '1832.080', 'text': 'standards. He measures us by our hearts.'}, {'start': '1829.919', 'end': '1835.520', 'text': 'He measures us by our willingness to'}, {'start': '1832.080', 'end': '1838.480', 'text': 'love, to serve, to forgive. He measures'}, {'start': '1835.520', 'end': '1841.120', 'text': 'us by our ability to rise after we fall'}, {'start': '1838.480', 'end': '1844.320', 'text': 'and to keep walking even when the'}, {'start': '1841.120', 'end': '1847.200', 'text': 'journey seems too long. So when he comes'}, {'start': '1844.320', 'end': '1850.240', 'text': 'today, will he find us weighed down by'}, {'start': '1847.200', 'end': '1852.480', 'text': 'the fear of not being enough? Will he'}, {'start': '1850.240', 'end': '1856.000', 'text': 'find us trapped in the endless loop of'}, {'start': '1852.480', 'end': '1858.159', 'text': 'comparison, exhaustion, and self doubt?'}, {'start': '1856.000', 'end': '1860.320', 'text': 'Or will he find us standing tall in the'}, {'start': '1858.159', 'end': '1863.279', 'text': 'knowledge that we are more than enough'}, {'start': '1860.320', 'end': '1866.000', 'text': 'because we are his beloved? I know the'}, {'start': '1863.279', 'end': '1867.960', 'text': 'weight of the world can be heavy. I know'}, {'start': '1866.000', 'end': '1870.480', 'text': 'the doubts and fears can be'}, {'start': '1867.960', 'end': '1872.559', 'text': 'overwhelming. But you do not have to'}, {'start': '1870.480', 'end': '1875.120', 'text': 'carry them alone. And you do not have to'}, {'start': '1872.559', 'end': '1877.360', 'text': 'carry the pressure to be perfect. You'}, {'start': '1875.120', 'end': '1879.679', 'text': 'only need to be faithful, to be real, to'}, {'start': '1877.360', 'end': '1882.159', 'text': 'be true to the calling on your life.'}, {'start': '1879.679', 'end': '1884.159', 'text': 'That is enough. So as you look into the'}, {'start': '1882.159', 'end': '1887.279', 'text': 'mirror today, I want you to say to'}, {'start': '1884.159', 'end': '1890.720', 'text': 'yourself, I am enough. I am enough as I'}, {'start': '1887.279', 'end': '1893.440', 'text': 'am. I am enough not because I am perfect'}, {'start': '1890.720', 'end': '1896.080', 'text': 'but because I am loved. I am enough'}, {'start': '1893.440', 'end': '1898.240', 'text': 'because I am his. When the Lord comes'}, {'start': '1896.080', 'end': '1901.039', 'text': 'today, may he find you free from the'}, {'start': '1898.240', 'end': '1903.120', 'text': 'weight of inadequacy, standing strong in'}, {'start': '1901.039', 'end': '1905.440', 'text': 'the power of knowing that you are enough'}, {'start': '1903.120', 'end': '1908.240', 'text': 'not because of your own strength but'}, {'start': '1905.440', 'end': '1911.360', 'text': 'because of his grace. We live in a world'}, {'start': '1908.240', 'end': '1913.720', 'text': 'that often tells us to hurry. Hurry'}, {'start': '1911.360', 'end': '1916.480', 'text': 'achieve. Hurry to grow. Hurry to'}, {'start': '1913.720', 'end': '1919.240', 'text': 'succeed. The world praises speed. The'}, {'start': '1916.480', 'end': '1921.600', 'text': 'faster you go, the more you seem to'}, {'start': '1919.240', 'end': '1924.080', 'text': 'accomplish. There is always the pressure'}, {'start': '1921.600', 'end': '1926.240', 'text': 'to be doing something, to be moving'}, {'start': '1924.080', 'end': '1929.399', 'text': 'forward at a pace that leaves little'}, {'start': '1926.240', 'end': '1932.240', 'text': 'room for reflection, for rest, or for'}, {'start': '1929.399', 'end': '1934.640', 'text': 'stillness. But what if I told you that'}, {'start': '1932.240', 'end': '1936.320', 'text': 'the most profound moments of growth are'}, {'start': '1934.640', 'end': '1938.799', 'text': 'not those filled with noise and'}, {'start': '1936.320', 'end': '1940.720', 'text': 'movement? What if I told you that some'}, {'start': '1938.799', 'end': '1943.200', 'text': 'of the most important steps in your'}, {'start': '1940.720', 'end': '1945.840', 'text': "journey aren't those taken in a rush,"}, {'start': '1943.200', 'end': '1948.320', 'text': 'but in moments of pause? What if the'}, {'start': '1945.840', 'end': '1951.440', 'text': 'very act of slowing down is the key to'}, {'start': '1948.320', 'end': '1953.600', 'text': 'truly moving forward? In our relentless'}, {'start': '1951.440', 'end': '1955.919', 'text': 'pursuit of more, we forget that there is'}, {'start': '1953.600', 'end': '1958.159', 'text': 'sacredness in the stillness. There is'}, {'start': '1955.919', 'end': '1960.640', 'text': 'wisdom in silence. There is growth in'}, {'start': '1958.159', 'end': '1963.519', 'text': 'waiting. It is in the quiet moments that'}, {'start': '1960.640', 'end': '1965.200', 'text': "we hear God's voice most clearly. It is"}, {'start': '1963.519', 'end': '1967.760', 'text': 'in the stillness that we find our'}, {'start': '1965.200', 'end': '1970.240', 'text': 'center, our true calling. It is in the'}, {'start': '1967.760', 'end': '1974.159', 'text': 'pauses that we receive the strength to'}, {'start': '1970.240', 'end': '1976.480', 'text': 'keep going, but still we resist it. We'}, {'start': '1974.159', 'end': '1979.840', 'text': 'fill our days with noise. The noise of'}, {'start': '1976.480', 'end': '1981.080', 'text': 'work, the noise of social media, the'}, {'start': '1979.840', 'end': '1983.760', 'text': 'noise of'}, {'start': '1981.080', 'end': '1987.039', 'text': 'expectations, the noise of doing for the'}, {'start': '1983.760', 'end': '1989.679', 'text': 'sake of doing. We become so accustomed'}, {'start': '1987.039', 'end': '1993.440', 'text': 'to the constant hum of life that we'}, {'start': '1989.679', 'end': '1996.000', 'text': 'forget how to be still. We forget that'}, {'start': '1993.440', 'end': '1998.480', 'text': 'the Lord himself in the beginning rested'}, {'start': '1996.000', 'end': '2000.559', 'text': 'not because he was tired, but because'}, {'start': '1998.480', 'end': '2003.440', 'text': 'rest is part of the divine rhythm of'}, {'start': '2000.559', 'end': '2006.080', 'text': 'creation. It is part of the balance that'}, {'start': '2003.440', 'end': '2008.960', 'text': 'keeps our souls from burning out. The'}, {'start': '2006.080', 'end': '2011.120', 'text': 'stillness is where the soul finds peace.'}, {'start': '2008.960', 'end': '2013.919', 'text': 'The quiet is where we reconnect to the'}, {'start': '2011.120', 'end': '2016.159', 'text': 'divine energy that sustains us. And yet'}, {'start': '2013.919', 'end': '2018.159', 'text': 'we are afraid to slow down. We are'}, {'start': '2016.159', 'end': '2020.640', 'text': 'afraid that if we stop, we will fall'}, {'start': '2018.159', 'end': '2022.640', 'text': 'behind. We are afraid that we will miss'}, {'start': '2020.640', 'end': '2024.880', 'text': "something, that we won't measure up,"}, {'start': '2022.640', 'end': '2027.440', 'text': "that we won't be enough. But the truth"}, {'start': '2024.880', 'end': '2030.159', 'text': 'is, you cannot move forward if you never'}, {'start': '2027.440', 'end': '2032.880', 'text': 'stop to rest. You cannot be at your best'}, {'start': '2030.159', 'end': '2034.640', 'text': 'if you never take the time to recharge.'}, {'start': '2032.880', 'end': '2036.640', 'text': 'You cannot hear your calling if you'}, {'start': '2034.640', 'end': '2039.120', 'text': 'never allow the noise to subside long'}, {'start': '2036.640', 'end': '2041.519', 'text': 'enough to listen. When the Lord comes'}, {'start': '2039.120', 'end': '2044.000', 'text': 'today, will he find you so caught up in'}, {'start': '2041.519', 'end': '2046.240', 'text': 'the rush of the world, so busy striving'}, {'start': '2044.000', 'end': '2049.200', 'text': 'and chasing that you have forgotten how'}, {'start': '2046.240', 'end': '2050.720', 'text': 'to be still? Or will he find you resting'}, {'start': '2049.200', 'end': '2053.599', 'text': 'in the knowledge that he is your'}, {'start': '2050.720', 'end': '2055.520', 'text': 'strength, your guide, and your refuge?'}, {'start': '2053.599', 'end': '2058.399', 'text': 'Slowing down does not mean you are'}, {'start': '2055.520', 'end': '2060.480', 'text': 'stagnant. It means you are in tune with'}, {'start': '2058.399', 'end': '2062.560', 'text': 'the rhythm of life, with the rhythm of'}, {'start': '2060.480', 'end': '2065.119', 'text': "your heart, with the rhythm of God's"}, {'start': '2062.560', 'end': '2068.079', 'text': 'calling for you. It means you are'}, {'start': '2065.119', 'end': '2070.440', 'text': 'listening not just to the world around'}, {'start': '2068.079', 'end': '2073.679', 'text': 'you, but to the still small voice'}, {'start': '2070.440', 'end': '2075.800', 'text': 'within. So I ask you now in this moment'}, {'start': '2073.679', 'end': '2078.240', 'text': 'of reflection, are you ready to slow'}, {'start': '2075.800', 'end': '2080.480', 'text': 'down? Are you ready to embrace the'}, {'start': '2078.240', 'end': '2083.359', 'text': 'stillness to find the peace that comes'}, {'start': '2080.480', 'end': '2085.599', 'text': 'in the quiet? Are you ready to trust'}, {'start': '2083.359', 'end': '2088.000', 'text': 'that in resting you will find the'}, {'start': '2085.599', 'end': '2090.560', 'text': 'strength to move forward in a way that'}, {'start': '2088.000', 'end': '2092.879', 'text': 'truly honors your purpose? Because'}, {'start': '2090.560', 'end': '2095.839', 'text': 'beloved, it is in the pause that we are'}, {'start': '2092.879', 'end': '2098.880', 'text': 'able to fully hear, to fully see, and to'}, {'start': '2095.839', 'end': '2102.160', 'text': 'fully live. Hurry is not the path to'}, {'start': '2098.880', 'end': '2104.720', 'text': 'greatness. Rest is. When the Lord comes'}, {'start': '2102.160', 'end': '2108.079', 'text': 'today, will he find you rushing through'}, {'start': '2104.720', 'end': '2110.480', 'text': 'life or will he find you fully present,'}, {'start': '2108.079', 'end': '2113.040', 'text': 'fully rested and ready to move forward'}, {'start': '2110.480', 'end': '2115.599', 'text': 'with clarity and peace? One of the most'}, {'start': '2113.040', 'end': '2118.400', 'text': 'profound truths we often forget is that'}, {'start': '2115.599', 'end': '2121.280', 'text': 'our worth is not defined by what we do,'}, {'start': '2118.400', 'end': '2123.839', 'text': 'but by who we are. In a world that'}, {'start': '2121.280', 'end': '2125.320', 'text': 'constantly pushes us to prove ourselves,'}, {'start': '2123.839', 'end': '2127.680', 'text': 'to show our value through'}, {'start': '2125.320', 'end': '2129.760', 'text': 'accomplishments, achievements, and'}, {'start': '2127.680', 'end': '2131.880', 'text': 'accolades, it is easy to fall into the'}, {'start': '2129.760', 'end': '2134.880', 'text': 'trap of measuring our worth by our'}, {'start': '2131.880', 'end': '2137.760', 'text': 'success. We tell ourselves, "If I can'}, {'start': '2134.880', 'end': '2140.720', 'text': 'just reach this goal, earn this title,'}, {'start': '2137.760', 'end': '2143.200', 'text': 'or achieve this level of success, then I'}, {'start': '2140.720', 'end': '2145.359', 'text': 'will finally be enough." But in doing'}, {'start': '2143.200', 'end': '2148.160', 'text': 'so, we strip away the beautiful'}, {'start': '2145.359', 'end': '2150.240', 'text': 'simplicity of what it means to be human.'}, {'start': '2148.160', 'end': '2153.040', 'text': 'To simply be without the need to'}, {'start': '2150.240', 'end': '2155.119', 'text': 'perform, without the pressure to prove.'}, {'start': '2153.040', 'end': '2157.280', 'text': 'In the eyes of the creator, you were'}, {'start': '2155.119', 'end': '2159.599', 'text': 'called into existence not because of'}, {'start': '2157.280', 'end': '2162.160', 'text': 'what you would do, but simply because'}, {'start': '2159.599', 'end': '2164.480', 'text': 'you are his. Not because of the'}, {'start': '2162.160', 'end': '2167.440', 'text': 'accolades you would earn or the praises'}, {'start': '2164.480', 'end': '2170.400', 'text': 'you would receive, but because you are a'}, {'start': '2167.440', 'end': '2172.480', 'text': 'beloved child of God, uniquely formed'}, {'start': '2170.400', 'end': '2174.040', 'text': 'with a purpose that no achievement or'}, {'start': '2172.480', 'end': '2176.640', 'text': 'title could ever'}, {'start': '2174.040', 'end': '2179.440', 'text': 'define. This is the truth we must hold'}, {'start': '2176.640', 'end': '2181.760', 'text': 'on to, especially in the times when we'}, {'start': '2179.440', 'end': '2184.720', 'text': 'feel invisible, overlooked, or'}, {'start': '2181.760', 'end': '2186.720', 'text': 'overlooked by the world. Your worth is'}, {'start': '2184.720', 'end': '2189.280', 'text': 'not in the things you accomplish or the'}, {'start': '2186.720', 'end': '2192.480', 'text': 'titles you wear. It is in your very'}, {'start': '2189.280', 'end': '2194.560', 'text': 'being. It is in your essence. It is in'}, {'start': '2192.480', 'end': '2197.119', 'text': 'the divine love that you carry within'}, {'start': '2194.560', 'end': '2199.880', 'text': 'you. The love that calls you whole and'}, {'start': '2197.119', 'end': '2202.720', 'text': 'complete regardless of what the world'}, {'start': '2199.880', 'end': '2205.599', 'text': 'sees. The world may praise you for your'}, {'start': '2202.720', 'end': '2208.320', 'text': 'work, your gifts, your talents. And'}, {'start': '2205.599', 'end': '2210.560', 'text': 'while those things are beautiful, they'}, {'start': '2208.320', 'end': '2212.880', 'text': 'are not the sum total of who you are.'}, {'start': '2210.560', 'end': '2215.119', 'text': 'You are not what you do. You are who you'}, {'start': '2212.880', 'end': '2216.880', 'text': 'are. You are a being of worth made in'}, {'start': '2215.119', 'end': '2219.760', 'text': 'the image of the divine. And that is'}, {'start': '2216.880', 'end': '2221.359', 'text': 'where your true value lies. So let us'}, {'start': '2219.760', 'end': '2223.920', 'text': 'step away from the pressures that tell'}, {'start': '2221.359', 'end': '2226.880', 'text': 'us we must constantly prove our worth.'}, {'start': '2223.920', 'end': '2229.040', 'text': 'Let us step away from voices that tell'}, {'start': '2226.880', 'end': '2231.960', 'text': 'us we are only valuable if we meet'}, {'start': '2229.040', 'end': '2234.480', 'text': 'certain standards or exceed certain'}, {'start': '2231.960', 'end': '2237.040', 'text': 'expectations. Let us reject the lie that'}, {'start': '2234.480', 'end': '2239.560', 'text': 'we are defined by our accomplishments.'}, {'start': '2237.040', 'end': '2243.200', 'text': 'For our worth is not something we must'}, {'start': '2239.560', 'end': '2245.760', 'text': 'earn. It is something we already have.'}, {'start': '2243.200', 'end': '2247.920', 'text': 'When the Lord comes today, will he find'}, {'start': '2245.760', 'end': '2250.160', 'text': 'you wrapped up in the need to perform,'}, {'start': '2247.920', 'end': '2252.720', 'text': 'to strive, to constantly prove your'}, {'start': '2250.160', 'end': '2254.640', 'text': 'worth to others? Or will he find you'}, {'start': '2252.720', 'end': '2256.560', 'text': 'resting in the truth that your worth is'}, {'start': '2254.640', 'end': '2258.640', 'text': 'already secure in him, that you do not'}, {'start': '2256.560', 'end': '2261.320', 'text': 'need to prove anything, that you are'}, {'start': '2258.640', 'end': '2264.000', 'text': 'loved and valuable simply because you'}, {'start': '2261.320', 'end': '2266.720', 'text': 'are? We must learn to hold our worth,'}, {'start': '2264.000', 'end': '2268.640', 'text': 'not in our productivity, but in the deep'}, {'start': '2266.720', 'end': '2271.440', 'text': 'knowing that we are enough just as we'}, {'start': '2268.640', 'end': '2273.760', 'text': 'are. This is the peace that transcends'}, {'start': '2271.440', 'end': '2275.760', 'text': 'the need to achieve. The peace that'}, {'start': '2273.760', 'end': '2278.560', 'text': 'comes from understanding that our true'}, {'start': '2275.760', 'end': '2281.040', 'text': 'value lies in the love that made us. The'}, {'start': '2278.560', 'end': '2283.920', 'text': 'love that calls us forward. When we'}, {'start': '2281.040', 'end': '2287.280', 'text': 'accept this truth, we stop living for'}, {'start': '2283.920', 'end': '2289.640', 'text': 'approval. We stop living for validation.'}, {'start': '2287.280', 'end': '2292.560', 'text': "We stop living for the world's fleeting"}, {'start': '2289.640', 'end': '2295.599', 'text': 'praise. We begin to live for the one who'}, {'start': '2292.560', 'end': '2297.599', 'text': 'has already affirmed our worth. We live'}, {'start': '2295.599', 'end': '2300.560', 'text': 'with the freedom of knowing that we are'}, {'start': '2297.599', 'end': '2304.320', 'text': 'worthy not because of what we do but'}, {'start': '2300.560', 'end': '2306.560', 'text': 'because of who we are. And so beloved, I'}, {'start': '2304.320', 'end': '2308.400', 'text': 'invite you today to release the heavy'}, {'start': '2306.560', 'end': '2311.040', 'text': 'burden of measuring your worth by the'}, {'start': '2308.400', 'end': '2313.280', 'text': 'things you do. Let go of the constant'}, {'start': '2311.040', 'end': '2315.760', 'text': 'need to prove yourself. Stand in the'}, {'start': '2313.280', 'end': '2317.520', 'text': 'truth of your worth just as you are.'}, {'start': '2315.760', 'end': '2319.440', 'text': 'Because when you know who you are, when'}, {'start': '2317.520', 'end': '2322.480', 'text': 'you know your value, you no longer need'}, {'start': '2319.440', 'end': '2325.680', 'text': 'to strive. You simply need to be. When'}, {'start': '2322.480', 'end': '2328.200', 'text': 'the Lord comes today, will he find you'}, {'start': '2325.680', 'end': '2331.440', 'text': 'secure in the truth of who you'}, {'start': '2328.200', 'end': '2334.720', 'text': 'are? Or will he find you still chasing'}, {'start': '2331.440', 'end': '2337.480', 'text': "the world's approval, still striving for"}, {'start': '2334.720', 'end': '2340.560', 'text': "an identity you've already been"}, {'start': '2337.480', 'end': '2343.200', 'text': 'given? There are times in life when we'}, {'start': '2340.560', 'end': '2345.720', 'text': 'are faced with the harsh reality that'}, {'start': '2343.200', 'end': '2349.359', 'text': 'not everything is under our'}, {'start': '2345.720', 'end': '2351.520', 'text': 'control. We can plan, we can prepare,'}, {'start': '2349.359', 'end': '2354.480', 'text': 'and we can dream. But the truth is that'}, {'start': '2351.520', 'end': '2356.960', 'text': 'life has its own rhythm, its own twists'}, {'start': '2354.480', 'end': '2360.320', 'text': 'and turns, some of which we did not'}, {'start': '2356.960', 'end': '2362.720', 'text': 'expect or invite. In these moments, when'}, {'start': '2360.320', 'end': '2365.200', 'text': 'things do not go the way we envisioned,'}, {'start': '2362.720', 'end': '2368.720', 'text': 'we are often left feeling powerless,'}, {'start': '2365.200', 'end': '2370.920', 'text': 'lost, or unsure of how to proceed. But'}, {'start': '2368.720', 'end': '2373.520', 'text': 'here is something crucial that we must'}, {'start': '2370.920', 'end': '2376.160', 'text': 'understand. The beauty of life lies not'}, {'start': '2373.520', 'end': '2378.560', 'text': 'in our control, but in our ability to'}, {'start': '2376.160', 'end': '2381.359', 'text': 'surrender. Surrender does not mean'}, {'start': '2378.560', 'end': '2384.040', 'text': 'giving up or giving in. It does not mean'}, {'start': '2381.359', 'end': '2387.760', 'text': 'abandoning hope or losing your will to'}, {'start': '2384.040', 'end': '2390.320', 'text': 'life. No, surrender is a quiet act of'}, {'start': '2387.760', 'end': '2392.480', 'text': 'trusting that even when things are not'}, {'start': '2390.320', 'end': '2394.960', 'text': 'going as we planned, there is a greater'}, {'start': '2392.480', 'end': '2397.280', 'text': 'plan at work. It is a willingness to'}, {'start': '2394.960', 'end': '2399.760', 'text': 'lean into the unknown with faith to'}, {'start': '2397.280', 'end': '2402.000', 'text': 'embrace uncertainty with courage knowing'}, {'start': '2399.760', 'end': '2403.760', 'text': 'that we are not alone in the journey.'}, {'start': '2402.000', 'end': '2405.680', 'text': 'When we surrender, we are not'}, {'start': '2403.760', 'end': '2408.000', 'text': 'acknowledging defeat. We are'}, {'start': '2405.680', 'end': '2410.560', 'text': 'acknowledging our dependence not on our'}, {'start': '2408.000', 'end': '2412.720', 'text': 'own strength but on a greater power on'}, {'start': '2410.560', 'end': '2415.680', 'text': 'the divine wisdom that sees beyond our'}, {'start': '2412.720', 'end': '2418.720', 'text': 'limited view. To surrender is to trust'}, {'start': '2415.680', 'end': '2421.680', 'text': 'that even in the chaos there is order.'}, {'start': '2418.720', 'end': '2424.480', 'text': 'Even in the confusion there is purpose.'}, {'start': '2421.680', 'end': '2427.200', 'text': 'Even in the storm there is peace. This'}, {'start': '2424.480', 'end': '2430.079', 'text': 'is not easy. In fact, it is one of the'}, {'start': '2427.200', 'end': '2432.000', 'text': 'hardest things to do. Our human nature'}, {'start': '2430.079', 'end': '2434.560', 'text': 'wants to control, to organize, to'}, {'start': '2432.000', 'end': '2436.880', 'text': 'dictate the terms of our lives. We want'}, {'start': '2434.560', 'end': '2439.839', 'text': 'to feel secure to know that we are in'}, {'start': '2436.880', 'end': '2442.640', 'text': 'charge of our destiny. But the truth is'}, {'start': '2439.839', 'end': '2444.720', 'text': 'much of life is beyond our control. And'}, {'start': '2442.640', 'end': '2447.440', 'text': 'in those moments when we can no longer'}, {'start': '2444.720', 'end': '2449.240', 'text': 'rely on our own strength, that is when'}, {'start': '2447.440', 'end': '2451.520', 'text': "we must learn to lean into God's"}, {'start': '2449.240', 'end': '2453.839', 'text': 'strength. That is when we must trust'}, {'start': '2451.520', 'end': '2456.880', 'text': 'that he is with us guiding us even when'}, {'start': '2453.839', 'end': '2458.800', 'text': 'the path ahead is unclear. If we are to'}, {'start': '2456.880', 'end': '2461.280', 'text': 'be ready, we must learn the art of'}, {'start': '2458.800', 'end': '2463.839', 'text': 'surrender. We must release the need for'}, {'start': '2461.280', 'end': '2466.319', 'text': 'certainty, the need for control, and'}, {'start': '2463.839', 'end': '2469.599', 'text': 'instead allow ourselves to be carried by'}, {'start': '2466.319', 'end': '2472.000', 'text': 'faith, by trust, and by hope. This does'}, {'start': '2469.599', 'end': '2473.920', 'text': 'not mean we stop trying or that we stop'}, {'start': '2472.000', 'end': '2476.000', 'text': 'making decisions. It means we open'}, {'start': '2473.920', 'end': '2478.000', 'text': 'ourselves to the possibility that things'}, {'start': '2476.000', 'end': '2480.400', 'text': 'may unfold differently than we had'}, {'start': '2478.000', 'end': '2482.640', 'text': 'imagined, and that in those moments'}, {'start': '2480.400', 'end': '2486.079', 'text': 'there is still goodness, there is still'}, {'start': '2482.640', 'end': '2488.880', 'text': 'grace, and there is still purpose. When'}, {'start': '2486.079', 'end': '2491.359', 'text': 'the Lord comes today, will he find us'}, {'start': '2488.880', 'end': '2494.800', 'text': 'still holding tightly to our need to'}, {'start': '2491.359', 'end': '2496.760', 'text': 'control every aspect of our lives, still'}, {'start': '2494.800', 'end': '2499.359', 'text': 'fighting against the flow of the'}, {'start': '2496.760', 'end': '2502.800', 'text': 'journey, still struggling to make'}, {'start': '2499.359', 'end': '2505.359', 'text': 'everything fit into our own plans? Or'}, {'start': '2502.800', 'end': '2508.079', 'text': 'will he find us ready to surrender not'}, {'start': '2505.359', 'end': '2510.240', 'text': 'out of defeat, but out of trust, out of'}, {'start': '2508.079', 'end': '2512.800', 'text': 'peace, and out of a deep belief that his'}, {'start': '2510.240', 'end': '2515.359', 'text': 'plan is greater than ours? Beloved, the'}, {'start': '2512.800', 'end': '2517.119', 'text': 'road may not always be smooth. There'}, {'start': '2515.359', 'end': '2519.280', 'text': 'will be days when you do not know which'}, {'start': '2517.119', 'end': '2521.839', 'text': 'way to turn. When you feel lost,'}, {'start': '2519.280', 'end': '2525.040', 'text': 'uncertain, and afraid. But remember'}, {'start': '2521.839', 'end': '2527.359', 'text': 'this, your surrender is not weakness. It'}, {'start': '2525.040', 'end': '2528.960', 'text': 'is strength. It is the strength that'}, {'start': '2527.359', 'end': '2531.200', 'text': 'comes from knowing that you are held,'}, {'start': '2528.960', 'end': '2533.440', 'text': 'that you are loved, and that even in'}, {'start': '2531.200', 'end': '2537.680', 'text': 'your moments of vulnerability, you are'}, {'start': '2533.440', 'end': '2540.160', 'text': 'never truly alone. So today, let go. Let'}, {'start': '2537.680', 'end': '2541.880', 'text': 'go of the need to control the outcome.'}, {'start': '2540.160', 'end': '2544.720', 'text': 'Let go of the need to have all the'}, {'start': '2541.880', 'end': '2546.880', 'text': 'answers. Surrender your plans. The one'}, {'start': '2544.720', 'end': '2548.720', 'text': 'who knows the end from the beginning.'}, {'start': '2546.880', 'end': '2550.880', 'text': 'Trust that he is guiding you even when'}, {'start': '2548.720', 'end': '2553.520', 'text': 'you cannot see the way. And know that'}, {'start': '2550.880', 'end': '2555.440', 'text': 'surrendering to God is not giving up. It'}, {'start': '2553.520', 'end': '2558.079', 'text': 'is giving over to a love that is greater'}, {'start': '2555.440', 'end': '2560.079', 'text': 'than any of our understanding. When the'}, {'start': '2558.079', 'end': '2562.480', 'text': 'Lord comes today, will he find you'}, {'start': '2560.079', 'end': '2564.480', 'text': 'surrendering your heart, your plans,'}, {'start': '2562.480', 'end': '2567.760', 'text': 'your will to him, knowing that his way'}, {'start': '2564.480', 'end': '2570.000', 'text': 'is always the best way. We live in a'}, {'start': '2567.760', 'end': '2572.640', 'text': 'world that is constantly telling us that'}, {'start': '2570.000', 'end': '2575.200', 'text': 'we must have it all together.'}, {'start': '2572.640', 'end': '2577.839', 'text': 'The pressure to appear perfect, to never'}, {'start': '2575.200', 'end': '2580.280', 'text': 'falter, and to maintain an image of'}, {'start': '2577.839', 'end': '2583.040', 'text': 'strength and success can be'}, {'start': '2580.280', 'end': '2585.520', 'text': 'overwhelming. It is as if the world'}, {'start': '2583.040', 'end': '2588.000', 'text': 'expects us to be impervious to hardship,'}, {'start': '2585.520', 'end': '2590.640', 'text': 'untouched by failure, and always smiling'}, {'start': '2588.000', 'end': '2592.560', 'text': 'in the face of adversity. But I want to'}, {'start': '2590.640', 'end': '2595.440', 'text': 'tell you something, something that is'}, {'start': '2592.560', 'end': '2597.760', 'text': 'both simple and profound. It is okay to'}, {'start': '2595.440', 'end': '2600.319', 'text': 'not have it all together. You do not'}, {'start': '2597.760', 'end': '2602.640', 'text': 'need to be flawless. You do not need to'}, {'start': '2600.319', 'end': '2604.720', 'text': 'have every detail of your life figured'}, {'start': '2602.640', 'end': '2607.359', 'text': 'out, every challenge solved, or every'}, {'start': '2604.720', 'end': '2609.359', 'text': 'question answered. In fact, it is in our'}, {'start': '2607.359', 'end': '2611.440', 'text': 'brokenness, our imperfection, and our'}, {'start': '2609.359', 'end': '2613.680', 'text': 'vulnerability that we often find our'}, {'start': '2611.440', 'end': '2615.440', 'text': 'truest strength. For it is through the'}, {'start': '2613.680', 'end': '2618.000', 'text': 'cracks in our hearts, the moments of'}, {'start': '2615.440', 'end': '2619.839', 'text': 'despair, and the experiences that shadow'}, {'start': '2618.000', 'end': '2621.920', 'text': 'us that the light of grace shines'}, {'start': '2619.839', 'end': '2624.000', 'text': 'through the brightest. The world may'}, {'start': '2621.920', 'end': '2626.560', 'text': 'tell you to put on a mask, to pretend'}, {'start': '2624.000', 'end': '2628.960', 'text': 'that everything is fine, to cover up the'}, {'start': '2626.560', 'end': '2631.280', 'text': 'hurt and the mess. But let me tell you'}, {'start': '2628.960', 'end': '2633.200', 'text': 'that there is beauty in the mess. There'}, {'start': '2631.280', 'end': '2635.440', 'text': 'is a quiet strength in admitting that'}, {'start': '2633.200', 'end': '2637.440', 'text': 'you do not have all the answers. There'}, {'start': '2635.440', 'end': '2639.440', 'text': 'is a deeper wisdom in acknowledging that'}, {'start': '2637.440', 'end': '2642.400', 'text': 'you are a work in progress. Still'}, {'start': '2639.440', 'end': '2644.160', 'text': 'learning, still growing, still becoming.'}, {'start': '2642.400', 'end': '2646.720', 'text': 'You are not meant to be perfect. You are'}, {'start': '2644.160', 'end': '2648.880', 'text': 'meant to be real. To be human, to be you'}, {'start': '2646.720', 'end': '2651.480', 'text': 'with all your strengths and weaknesses,'}, {'start': '2648.880', 'end': '2654.400', 'text': 'your triumphs and failures in the hands'}, {'start': '2651.480', 'end': '2657.440', 'text': 'of creator. Our brokenness is never'}, {'start': '2654.400', 'end': '2660.200', 'text': 'wasted. He does not discard us when we'}, {'start': '2657.440', 'end': '2663.200', 'text': 'falter, nor does he turn away when we'}, {'start': '2660.200', 'end': '2666.000', 'text': 'stumble. Rather, he uses our moments of'}, {'start': '2663.200', 'end': '2668.960', 'text': 'weakness, our broken pieces to craft'}, {'start': '2666.000', 'end': '2671.920', 'text': 'something beautiful. He turns our messes'}, {'start': '2668.960', 'end': '2674.960', 'text': 'into messages, our scars into stories of'}, {'start': '2671.920', 'end': '2677.280', 'text': 'redemption, and our pain into the seeds'}, {'start': '2674.960', 'end': '2680.640', 'text': 'of compassion that we can offer to'}, {'start': '2677.280', 'end': '2683.319', 'text': 'others. When the Lord comes today, will'}, {'start': '2680.640', 'end': '2685.680', 'text': 'he find you hiding behind the walls of'}, {'start': '2683.319', 'end': '2688.760', 'text': 'perfection, pretending to be something'}, {'start': '2685.680', 'end': '2692.000', 'text': 'you are not, afraid to show your true'}, {'start': '2688.760', 'end': '2692.760', 'text': 'self, or will he find you standing in'}, {'start': '2692.000', 'end': '2695.520', 'text': 'your'}, {'start': '2692.760', 'end': '2697.760', 'text': 'vulnerability, accepting that it is in'}, {'start': '2695.520', 'end': '2700.160', 'text': 'our imperfections that we are made'}, {'start': '2697.760', 'end': '2702.800', 'text': 'perfect in his love? It is not our'}, {'start': '2700.160', 'end': '2704.880', 'text': 'perfection that draws us closer to God,'}, {'start': '2702.800', 'end': '2707.599', 'text': 'but our willingness to be honest with'}, {'start': '2704.880', 'end': '2709.640', 'text': 'ourselves and with him. It is when we'}, {'start': '2707.599', 'end': '2712.240', 'text': 'are broken that we are most open to'}, {'start': '2709.640', 'end': '2714.720', 'text': 'healing. It is when we are honest about'}, {'start': '2712.240', 'end': '2717.520', 'text': 'our struggles that we make space for his'}, {'start': '2714.720', 'end': '2719.359', 'text': 'grace to enter and transform us. Grace'}, {'start': '2717.520', 'end': '2722.800', 'text': 'is not for the flawless. It is for the'}, {'start': '2719.359', 'end': '2725.040', 'text': 'broken, the messy and the real. So today'}, {'start': '2722.800', 'end': '2727.760', 'text': 'I invite you to let go of the lie that'}, {'start': '2725.040', 'end': '2729.960', 'text': 'you must have it all together. Let go of'}, {'start': '2727.760', 'end': '2733.119', 'text': 'the pressure to appear strong and'}, {'start': '2729.960', 'end': '2736.480', 'text': 'unshaken. Allow yourself to be human.'}, {'start': '2733.119', 'end': '2738.800', 'text': 'Allow yourself to be vulnerable. For in'}, {'start': '2736.480', 'end': '2741.440', 'text': 'your vulnerability, in your willingness'}, {'start': '2738.800', 'end': '2744.680', 'text': 'to show the world your true self, you'}, {'start': '2741.440', 'end': '2746.720', 'text': 'open the door for grace, healing, and'}, {'start': '2744.680', 'end': '2749.040', 'text': 'transformation. When the Lord comes'}, {'start': '2746.720', 'end': '2751.599', 'text': 'today, will he find you hiding your'}, {'start': '2749.040', 'end': '2753.760', 'text': 'wounds, or will he find you standing in'}, {'start': '2751.599', 'end': '2758.920', 'text': 'the freedom that comes from embracing'}, {'start': '2753.760', 'end': '2758.920', 'text': 'your true imperfect self?'}]