Joel Osteen Enjoying the Journey

as a thank you for your support of our ministry this month joel and victoria would like to send you a copy of Joel's new audio and video series Wow finding God's favor when you least expect it we all need wow moments from God in our lives and in this series you'll be challenged to expect the unexpected I know God wants to do amazing things in your life and your families and Victoria and I are believing for God's unprecedented favour that God will take you places that you've never even dreamed of we want to thank you so much for your prayer and your support it's generous people just like you that allow us to take the message of hope around the world we want to thank you so much and know that we're praying for you and we're believing for God's goodness in your life you know the scripture says that God will withhold nothing from those who walk uprightly so be encouraged today you're seeking God you're expecting him to do great things in your life know that he wants to direct your path he wants to help you make the right decisions he wants to strengthen you right where you are God is a good God and He loves you so much and so do we god bless you too request your copy of a Wow finding God's favor when you least expect it visit Joel Osteen dot-com or call one eight eight eight five six seven Joel today [Music] well god bless you always a joy to come into your home's we love you and we know God has great things in store and if you're ever in our area I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services I promise you we'll make you feel right at home thanks for tuning in and thank you again for coming out today and I'd like to start with something funny and I heard about this man somebody had stolen his wife's credit card a couple of months later the company called him and said sir we've got good news we found the credit card without missing a beat he said tell the thief to keep it he spends less than my wife all right hold up your Bible say it like you mean it this is my Bible I am what it says I am I have what it says I have I can do what it says I can do today I will be taught the Word of God I boldly confess my mind is alert my heart is receptive I will never be the same in Jesus name god bless you I want to talk to you today about enjoying the journey life is not really about the destination it's about how we live all along the way and it's easy to become so goal-oriented and so focused on our dreams that we overlook the simple things that we should be enjoying but we have to realize life is a journey there's no such thing as the finish line once you accomplish this dream God will give you another dream when you overcome this challenge there'll be another challenge there's always another mountain to climb if we make the mistake of just living for the destination we'll look up one day and realize we've missed out on the biggest part of life because most of life is routine most of us get up every morning go to work come home eat dinner go to bed and do it again there are very few mountaintops where you graduate from school or you get married or have a child or go on vacation the hard times are few and far between but many people are living for the mountaintops they're so focused on their promotion that they work night and day they don't really they're family they're so stressed raising their children they don't enjoy their children they're so caught up in getting out of a problem their life goes by in a blur we've got to slow down and learn to enjoy the journey this is what I had to do before I was married I used to travel overseas with my father a couple of times a year and I lived for those big trips I couldn't wait I counted down the months the weeks hurried through the days trying to get to that trip when one trip was over I'd immediately start looking forward to the next trip one day I realized I'm hurrying through life just trying to get to my big events of course it's good to have things to look forward to it's good to have goals in front of you but don't put your life on hold until that happens enjoy all along the way I heard Deion Sanders talking he was a star football player his dream was to win the Super Bowl that's what he wanted more than anything else he trained and trained year after year working tirelessly one day his dream came to pass he won the Super Bowl he told that night when he went home after the big celebration he was so disappointed he thought is this all that it is I have worked and reached the pinnacle of my career and I thought it would be different yes I'm happy yes God's blessed me but it's just not what I thought it would be and sometimes we can spend our whole life trying to reach a goal only to find out it's not what it's all cracked up to be friends the real joy in life is in the simple things it's in being with your family getting up early and seeing the sunrise taking a walk through the park taking your daughter on a date going on a bike ride with your spouse ensure the goals the accomplishments they bring us a sense of satisfaction but they're only temporary you can't live off your Super Bowls you can't live off your big events because after you savor them for a moment God's going to birth a new dream in your heart something new to look forward to and I've talked to a lot of people that have made it to the very top in field the one common regret I seem to hear is that they did it at the expense of their family they say Joel if I could do it over again I would take time to stop and smell the roses I would be there at my children's little league games I would take more walks through the park with my spouse I wouldn't live so stressed and uptight thinking if I can just get to the next level then I'll slow down and enjoy my life no slow down and enjoy the journey right now take time for the people God's put in your life they're not always going to be there the scripture says in James our life is like a mist we're here for a moment and then we're gone every day we should tell our spouse our children the people that mean the most to us how much we love them I told Victoria the other day how much I appreciate her coming and listening to me speak every service a while back we were out of town holding services then we came back and did the three services on the weekend and I figured up she had heard my same message that week eight times in a row listen after eight times I'm even tired of it but she sits there three services a week and she laughs at my same jokes like it's the first time she ever heard them I know she's faking it but at least she's faking it to make me feel good I don't take that for granted make sure the people in your life know how much you appreciate them sacrificing and being behind you after all you wouldn't be where you were if somebody wasn't paying the price to get you further down the road I think about my mother every service when I'm up here I can hear her agging me on back there on the front row under her breath she's constantly whispering that's good y'all doesn't matter what I'm talking about I'm her son she thinks everything I say is good I can say you may be seated oh that's excellent today Joel but I realize I wouldn't be where I am today without the people that have sewn into my life now I'm not going to take for granted those who are closest to me my family my friends my co-workers that are making sacrifices so I can fulfill what God's put in my life in my heart a lot of people today they're making a living but they're not really making a life they're working all the time living stressed out bringing the tension home too busy to enjoy what God's given them we have to understand when we come to the end of our life most likely there will still be work to do at the office your inbox will still be full it's never going to be all done and if we don't make our family and those that we love a high priority to enjoy to spend time with to invest in then we'll end up missing out on the thing that matters most because in your final days here on this earth the job won't keep your company your family will but if you spend all your time just investing in a career and giving the best of your life and energy to build a business then your lack of investment in what matters most your family could leave you a very lonely person and it's good to be focused and driven it's good to be a hard worker but you've got to know how to walk away and say you know what this work is still gonna be at the office tomorrow when I show up so I'm gonna be my best today I'm gonna work hard but I'm gonna play hard I'm gonna enjoy my family I'm gonna have fun with my children if you don't make this decision then your family will always only get your leftover time and leftover energy they deserve better than that don't take the stress from the office home to where you show up the whole house tenses up don't let how somebody treated you or what you didn't get done sour your day to where you take it out on your family leave that out I had to home I don't know about you but I would rather make less money and be able to enjoy my life and enjoy my family than to be so overworked that I never have any extra energy there are plenty of opportunities I say no to because I don't want my life to go by in a blur I don't want my children to grow up without knowing me I don't want to be so busy that I can't come home and work out or take a walk through the park or stay up and look at the Stars or get up early and hear the birds singing you've got to realize I'm a very goal-oriented disciplined person I've got to do just what I'm asking you to do I train myself to slow down and enjoy the journey I read about Frank Lloyd Wright he was a famous architect and when he was a young man in his early teens he was walking through a snow-covered field with his uncle they were headed to a house up in front of them but along the way Frank veered off and stopped by the barn to see the animals then he went over to the pond and took a look at that then he saw a fort off in the distance that they had built he went out of his way and went and saw that when he finally caught up with his uncle way across the snow-covered field his uncle said now Frank I want to teach you a lesson look back at our footsteps in the snow mine came straight here I never ventured off and I got here much quicker than you but Frank look at yours use the exact all over the place wasted so much time stopping all along the way frank lloyd wright's said that was one of the best lessons he ever learned but he took it just the opposite his philosophy was I still got to where I was going but I enjoyed all the sights along the way and in life there will always be a balance between working hard being focused accomplishing dreams and taking time to stop and smell the roses some of you today you don't SIG's AG enough you need to start venturing off here and there and appreciating and enjoying the great things God placed in your life you're all work and no fun but if you would change your approach and slow down and enjoy the journey you will not only still get to where you're supposed to be but your life will be so much more fulfilled and I learned a lot of this from Victorious side of the family they love to laugh they love to have fun they enjoy each other at dinner they can sit there and talk for hours my personality is I can eat in ten minutes and I'm done let's get busy let's go do something we got goals we got dreams the other day Victoria and her mom and brother and some of the family came over after church and we had a late lunch and after I got through eating I went to the back and watch the football game two and a half hours later I came back out and they were still sitting at the table in the same seats laughing talking having fun I was so amazed I said to Victoria what are y'all talking about she said all nothing let me tell you they can talk about nothing better than anybody I know why is that they enjoy each other they've taught me how to take time to smell the roses think about this God gives us a sunrise every morning do you ever enjoy it he gives us stars every night do you'll ever look up and appreciate it maybe you have your mom and dad living close by do you ever stop by and spend time do you ever call them and talk about nothing many of us God is blessed with beautiful children do you enjoy them or are you so busy raising them and cooking their dinner making sure they're doing their homework and making sure they're cleaning their room that you don't really appreciate the gift that God has given you I know people that love their children no doubt about it but they don't really enjoy their children they let the pressures of raising them rob them of what they have to offer when our daughter Alexandra was about three years old she used to wake up at night and come down the stairs and come into our room of course we'd have to get up and take her back to bed for a period of 3 or 4 months she was waking up 2 or 3 times a night and coming down this was not long after I took over for my father and started pastoring so I was learning to minister and there was a lot of stress and changes just with that and now I wasn't getting that much sleep and one time I was telling Victoria we just got to do something about Alexandra she's coming down so much and you know I'm just so tired and I'm not getting up sleep on and on Victoria said something I'll never forget she said Joel just remember 20 years from now you'll give anything to hear those little footsteps coming down the stairs you'll give anything to have her warning to come into your room that changed my whole perspective I started looking forward to it I started treasuring those moments that we could spin together your children maybe a lot of work right now but make sure you're enjoying them they're not always going to be there in the house with you I heard dr. ed young tell about something that happened with his son dr. Young is a good friend of ours a great leader a pastor of Second Baptist Church here in town when dr. young was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention he received an invitation to go to the White House and have a personal meeting with the president it was a big deal he was very excited about it but his son's basketball team won their division and they kept it van Singh and it just so happened that the state championship was on the same day he was supposed to go to Washington so he had to decide was he going to stay and see his son or was he gonna go and see the president and I'm sure he could have thought well I can watch the game later by video I can call and get updates I can probably hear it on the radio know dr. young didn't think twice he had his staff and formed the president's office that he would not be able to attend he went to his son's game and it was very exciting very close the score kept going back and forth toward the end of the game his son's team was down by one point look like they had come up short but in the final seconds his son hit the game-winning shot and they won the state championship dr. young said I would not have traded that moment for anything in the world not even a meeting with the president friends we have to realize some things we cannot get back our children will only be this age once take time for the people in your life don't rush out of the house without giving your spouse a hug don't be so busy that you can't go on the date that you promised your little daughter don't come home so tired that you can't go to the park and watch your teenage son skateboard make memories together 20 years from now we're going to look back and say those were the good old days you remember when you hit the game-winning shot you remember when I used to go to the park and chase you around you remember when we used to sit around the dinner table and laugh and tell stories friends we are living in the good old days don't take it for granted your family needs what you have they need your smile your encouragement your support your wisdom they need to know that you care and that they mean the world to you it's important not to just be in the house don't just show up be involved be engaged I heard somebody say it's not the time we spend together that really matters it's the moments we ignite to make a memory and I know plenty of people that are living in a house full of family but they're very lonely everybody is busy everybody's doing their own thing nobody is stepping up to say you know what we're gonna be a family we're gonna take time to sit together at the dinner table and see how we're doing we're gonna go to the ballgame or to the dance recital and cheer that other person on we're gonna lift each other up when we're falling we're going to enjoy what God has given us see it's easy to be too busy it's easy to become disengaged but if you want to get the most out of life you've got to draw the line in the sand and say I'm gonna slow down and enjoy the journey I'm not gonna take for granted what God has given me I'm not going to be a workaholic and not see my children grow up I'm not gonna live so stressed out that I can't appreciate the simple things in life a few years ago I was rounding everybody up at our house to leave we were headed to church and we were running late and I was in a big hurry all stressed out about it our son Jonathan was about 8 years old somebody had given us a label-maker one of those little machines that you can type a message and it'll print out a little label that you can stick on somewhere Jonathan was there by the back door and he was typing in a message I said Jonathan you got to put that up we're late we got to go right now he said hang on dad I just need another minute just another second I said Jonathan we don't have another second we're not going to get to church in time you got to put it up I was getting more and more stressed out about that time he printed out the message and handed it to me it said you're the best dad in the world I thought well maybe we can't stay here a little longer putting out a few more of those but sometimes we get so caught up in our goals and so focused on the end result that we miss the miracles all along the way take time to smell the roses enjoy the different personalities God's put in your life I've found it's the simple things that mean the most to us you don't have to take an expensive vacation to make a memory you can make a memory sitting at the dinner table you can make a memory watching your children play in the backyard getting up early with your spouse and taking in a beautiful sunrise some of my best memories growing up were when all of us kids there were five of us would sit with my father early in the morning and drink coffee by the fire when my father would take his first sip of coffee he would always let out along all of us kids from 4 to 14 would do the same thing we'd have a contest to see do the best arm we'd sit there and laugh and have fun together my brother Paul tells how he and his children still get up today and drink coffee early in the morning sip it and say they're ours I don't drink coffee anymore I'm a little bit holier than he is but growing up we didn't have a lot of money but my parents were very innovative we lived close to the big airport in a couple of nights a month when it wasn't busy they would take us up to the airport and we would ride the train together that was free we loved it you would have thought they were taking us to an amusement park we would go back and forth between Terminal A and Terminal B for an hour or two I'm sure people thought that family is so lost they don't know what they're doing now you know what we were doing we were making a memory we were having fun together as a family it's not how expensive it is or how exciting it is life is all about what we make it when our children were younger we took them to Disneyland Alexandra was about five years old I would guess and it was very much a struggle getting there that day there was a lot of traffic and we were in the rental car and hard finding a place to park and a long line to get on the tram to catch it to the park and by the time we got in the park I was very stressed out we weren't there 15 minutes until little Alexandra said daddy I don't want to go back to the hotel and go swimming I said no no no Alexandra we can swim anywhere we can swim at home we're at Disneyland she said daddy I don't want to be at Disneyland I want to go swimming I said no Alexandra we may see Mickey Mouse we're gonna go find Snow White we're gonna have so much fun she said I don't want to have fun here I finally had to say listen Alexandra I paid 50 bucks for your ticket you're gonna have fun whether you like it or not what am I saying it doesn't take a lot of money to have fun many times it's the simple things that we remember the most I heard about this man that was a huge baseball fan for his son's 8th birthday he bought him a baseball that was autographed by all of the New York Yankees they had just won the World Series paid a lot of money for it and he was sure his son would treasure it for years to come but when he gave the ball to his son his son wasn't excited about it at all in fact he just looked at it and put it off to the side the dad was so disappointed he said son don't you like the ball his son said yes dad but I'd like it a lot better if somebody hadn't written all these names on it friends we've got to learn to enjoy the simple things in life today everything is so complicated we have 500 channels on TV the internet cell phones PDAs everywhere you look there's something to do some kind of entertainment and if we're not careful we'll fall into the trap of thinking that we've always got to be busy we can't have fun we can't enjoy our life unless we're doing something big and exciting so slow down and enjoy the simple things turn off the TV and spend more time with your family take a walk go for a bike ride play games together that doesn't cost anything growing up we used to play hide-and-go-seek as a family my mom and dad would chase us all through the house it's one of the highlights of my day my favorite memory is when my sister Lisa got stuck in the dryer thank God we headed on permanent press but it's not about what we have or don't have life is all about what we make you can have all the money in the world and not be happy and enjoy in life plus you can have very little and be just as satisfied and fulfilled as you can be it's all in our approach now read about this family that was very wealthy the father wanted to show his seven-year-old son how the quote poor people live and so he left the big home in the city and they drove to a little farm in the country where this family they knew was and they spent the night with him it's just a little frame Woodhouse didn't have any TV no fancy furniture no carpet and at night this family since there was no entertainment inside they would go out on the front porch and sing and laugh and tell stories together after being there a night or two the father and son headed back home the father was very curious as to if his son had learned his lesson and he asked him how he liked it little boy said Oh dad I really loved it he said well son do you see how poor people can be the son said yes dad I did he said well son tell me what exactly did you learn the little boy said well dad I learned that we have one dog at home and they have four we have a swimming pool in the middle of our backyard but they have a stream with no end we have fancy lanterns on our house but they have the Stars we watched TV by ourselves at night but they sit around as a family and have fun his dad was shaking his head he knew it had backfired about that time the son said dad thank you so much for showing me how poor we really are friends if you have people in your life to love you're rich if you have your health you're rich if you can hear your little girl's footsteps coming down the stairs you're rich if you can talk with your family about nothing you're rich keep the right perspective slow down and enjoy the simple things in life take more walks through the park look at the stars at night think about God's goodness when you get up in the morning don't just drink your coffee sip it and say ah make a memory ignite that moment I'm asking us today to slow down and enjoy the journey there will always be another dream another goal another challenge take time for what matters most some of you are so focused and driven so busy with what you have to do each day you're missing the miracles all along the way you need to do like Frank Lloyd Wright and start zigzagging start enjoying the different things that God has put in your life I heard somebody say it's not that life is so short it's that we wait so long to begin why don't you begin today take time to smell the roses appreciate the people in your life hug your children before you leave each day give your spouse a kiss call your parents and tell them how much you love them go visit those relatives you've been meaning to life is short we're not always going to be here and it's good to work hard but you got to learn how to turn it off stay in balance and play hard as well we're living in the good old days and if you'll make this decision that you're going to slow down and enjoy the journey then you will experience the fullness of what God has in store when you come to the end of your life you'll have no regrets you'll be able to say I made the most of my life I enjoyed my family I enjoyed my friends I finished my course with joy amen do you receive that today we never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life would you pray with me just say Lord Jesus I repent of my sins come into my heart I make you my Lord and Savior friends if you prayed that simple prayer we believe you got born again get in a good Bible based church keep God in first place he'll take you places that you've never dreamed up as a thank you for your support of our ministry this month joel and victoria would like to send you a copy of Joel's new audio and video series Wow finding God's favor when you least expect it we all need wow moments from God in our lives and in this series you'll be challenged to expect the unexpected I know God wants to do amazing things in your life and your families and Victoria and I are believing for God's unprecedented favor that God will take you places that you've never even dreamed done we want to thank you so much for your prayer and your support it's generous people just like you that allow us to take the message of hope around the world and we want to thank you so much and know that we're praying for you and we're believing for God's goodness in your life you know the scripture says that God will withhold nothing from those who walk uprightly so be encouraged today you're seeking God you're expecting him to do great things in your life know that he wants to direct your path he wants to help you make the right decisions he wants to strengthen you right where you are God is a good God and He loves you so much and so do we god bless you to request your copy of a Wow finding God's favor when you least expect it visit Joel Osteen dot-com or call us toll free [Applause] plans now to join Joel and Victoria Osteen on Saturday April 24th for a historic night of hope at one of the most treasured landmarks on the west coast Dodgers Stadium yeah amazing extremely inspirational [Applause] Indonesian needs to hear you were really need oh great I think the nation needs to hear more good news [Applause] words without explaining you would not be alive God didn't have a my battery's charged for review we are so excited about coming to Dodger Stadium it's going to be a great night of worship and inspiration bring your friends and family we can't wait to see you join Joel and Victoria Osteen on Saturday April 24th at Dodger Stadium visit joel osteen comm for ticketing and more information

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Length: 31min 18sec (1878 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 24 2018