Words of Wisdom From a Dad to His Future Son-in-Law

When Adam asked my father for his blessing to propose marriage to me, my dad had a little talk with him. From what I’ve been told, that talk included a discussion about what motivates people. My dad told my future husband that people are driven by one of the following:

1. Money
2. Power
3. Sex
4. Faith
5. Fame

My dad told Adam that he believed that my husband-to-be was motivated by faith and gave Adam his permission to marry me. (Thanks, Dad! Good decision!)

Adam and I have come back to this conversation several times when talking about right motivation and the way things are in the world right now. It’s so easy to see that when faith is not someone’s primary motivation, their priorities are out-of-whack, relationships are damaged, and they are ultimately unhappy. I think it can be a very helpful tool to use when making decisions to help us stay on track.

This is also useful when evaluating our goals and dreams.  Often, our dreams evolve into something else and take a turn down a different path. We grow and gain new perspectives. We get married… have kids… embrace our vocations, hopefully… Priorities shift and relationships need to be fostered. If faith is our number one motivator, then what matters to God will matter to us!

For Adam and me, the past couple years have consisted of slowly letting go of our old ideals and hopes, and learning to mold them into what God wants for us. It has been such a blessing to be able to see how our desires have aligned with God’s will for us and our family! Nothing that we can come up with on our own could ever be better than what God has in store for us! I can tell you that Adam and I are truly happier than we have ever been, even though our initial plans never materialized, because we are so grateful for each other, our children, and our faith! God is good!

I wish you true joy and peace, as well! I pray that you are open to wherever God is leading you! Have a great weekend!

Tags: dreams, faith, inspiration, motivation