What are you here for?

You do know you aren't an accident right?  You aren't here by some random chance.  You are here, now, at this particular point in time, because that is how God planned it.  But have you ever thought about WHY?  Why are YOU here?  Are you here for what you can get out of this life...or for what you can give??  Hmm.  Powerful thought.  Are you here to lift up others, or lift yourself up?  Ouch.  Are you here to gripe, complain, and make certain that everyone knows "That is NOT how we have always done things."!  Are you here to make lots of money and friends, and buy the best of everything, or can you be happy with what you've got...or can you be happy with just a dollar in your pocket?  I met a man today named Gene and I know without a doubt why God put him here.  It was extremely obvious.  I had seen him before.  He walked by my car one day as I sat at a red light with my boys.  I saw him coming in the rear view mirror and immediately noticed by the way he walked that he was not your typical pedestrian.  He walked like a child, swinging his arms happily, nearly skipping, and smiling for no apparent reason as he did so, however, he appeared to be around 50 years old.  My first thought was, "wow...what have we here?".  When he got even with the passenger side window, he stopped, leaned down and waved wildly, as a little kid would do, with the biggest smile I have ever seen.  My eldest son said, "Mom, someone has lost him!  I wonder where he belongs?  Someone should call the cops and tell them he has gotten lost!"  I admit...I had never had anyone do this to me before and I was just as shocked my son was.  He proceeded to the curb, where he waved at the lady in front of me, and then to every car that passed by.  It wasn't a wave or a smile you could ever ignore, and as I sat there and watched I realized that every person that drove by ended up smiling, perhaps laughing a little and some even waved back.  When the light changed and I drove by, he waved at me again, as if he was seeing a long lost friend after a long absence...and I smiled again.  After that encounter I had pretty much forgotten about him.  Today, as I was checking out at one of my favorite retailers, I heard the doors open and a gleeful voice proclaim, "Hi!!  Gene's here!!  I turned around to see who had come in, and as I turned I caught his eyes as he smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen and said, "Gene's here ladies!!" and he waved wildly at the cashiers and then walked right up to me as I stood there with my mouth open.  He patted me on the back, smiled that huge smile, and said, "How are you today?  Are you doing good? "  I stammered a bit, then said, "Hello Gene.  I am doing great, how are you?"  He patted me on the back again and said, "Gene is fine!  Gene is fine!"  and then, spying a bright orange golf bag full of gleeming new golf clubs behind me said, " Oh WOW!  Look at those golf clubs!  I can't buy those.  I don't have enough money.  I only have a dollar in my pocket and that's not enough!  Then he spun around, waved and shouted,  Goodbye ladies!!" and out the door he went, practically skipping with glee.  Now, most of us would say, "that old man is just crazy!  He has no purpose, he's not all there!"  But, when he left the store, every single person up front...the cashiers, and every customer was smiling.  You see, Gene's purpose in life is to spead his JOY!  I don't know what makes Gene so happy, I didn't think to ask, but when he left every person at the front of that store was smiling....He KNOWS what his purpose is and he does it to the very best of his ability!  We all have a purpose.  Are you fullfilling God's purpose for your life?  If you are, it should leave people with a smile, with more joy than what they started out with... or are you carrying out your own man-made purpose?  Are you so busy trying to live out the purpose you have created that you forget how to be joyful, or even how to smile?  I  know somebody who can help you put a smile back on your face! ;0D It's something to think about...