ONE of the reasons so many of us are unfulfilled is that we are driving in the wrong lane. We operate in lanes of life that were never designed for us. We operate in purposes that were never designed for us. All exits are good exits, but not all exits are your exits. We don’t get off at exits for no good reason when we are driving. We decide to get off at exits because they take us to our intended destination. We take exits that will lead us to where we are supposed to go.

Many people miss their purpose because they take any old exit where they see lights. We should only take exits that take us toward our destiny, our purpose, or our calling.

WHEN the Titanic went under, three messages had been sent that said to watch out for the icebergs. Because everything looked all right, the folks taking the message never passed it on. They never sent the warning out to people who needed to hear and, as a result, over fifteen hundred people lost their lives. The folks who knew kept quiet.

Another tragedy of the Titanic was that the lifeboats, designed to carry people away from the sinking ship, were only half full. People who had made it to safety in the lifeboats didn’t want to turn around and go pick up people who were dying. They didn’t want to take the risk of panicking people flipping over their boat. So the people who were saved and safe kept on going. Fifteen hundred people didn’t have to die, but they did. The folks who were saved didn’t want to go back because it was risky.

Sharing the gospel has risks—the risk of rejection, the risk of being made fun of, the risk of being called “holier than thou,” the risk of being called “Reverend,” the risk of being avoided, the risk of being asked questions you don’t know the answer to. Yes, there are risks, but when someone is dying, offering them the gift of salvation is worth the risk.

WHEN weightlifters want to strengthen their legs, there is no exercise that competes with the squat. You put the weights on your shoulders and you go down, up and down, up and down, in order to build strength in your legs. In order to build your hamstrings, in order to build your legs, you’ve got to squat. Most of us don’t get low enough. We’re not growing stronger because we’re not willing to bend.

TWO brothers went away to college. One brother became a farmer. The other became a brilliant, wealthy lawyer. The lawyer brother visited the farmer brother on the farm. He said, “I can’t believe you’ve not made anything of your life. You’re out here on a farm. Look at me. Look where I am. I’m on Wall Street. I’m an investor in the stock market. I have clients who are millionaires. Here you are, stuck out here on the farm. I wonder what the difference between us is.”

The farmer brother then spoke. He pointed out to his wheat field. He said, “You’ll see two types of wheat out there, brother. You’ll see the wheat that’s standing straight up. In the head of that wheat, there is nothing. It’s empty. That’s why it’s standing so high. You’ll also see some other wheat that is bent over. That’s because the head is full. It’s full of wheat.”

Some of us are standing straight up. We are walking tall. However, we are only able to do so because we are empty. Some of us walk a little bent over indicating that we are full. The test isn’t what you have in your pocket. It’s what you have in your heart