More of it, Please
My prayer journal entry from March 29th, 2021
In a world of chaos, I’m so grateful for my family and the stability they provide. Their love, support, and prayer have been priceless. I pray that we will always be anchored in Christ together and not let the world get its hooks in us, especially our children, as they grow.
Proverbs 22:6 NKJV
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
[Added notes and elaboration are italicized…]
Monday, March 29th, 2021 9:10a NS4L office
Jesus,
Thank you for this past week and I apologize that I didn’t write in this journal last week. It was great to get down to Tampa on Wednesday and spend time with mom, dad, Shannon, the boys, Harper, Scarlett [my nieces], and even Tara [my sister] for a little bit on Friday night. The time Shannon, the boys, and I got to spend at Busch Gardens on Thursday was great. Nothing makes me light up more than seeing them light up with excitement and spending quality time with them is the best. I crave more of it. MORE OF IT, PLEASE.
Sitting in my office 15 minutes before everyone shows up and I’m not thrilled about the day ahead or the week ahead. I wish I could be sitting by my parents pool, watching the children play, talking with my parents and my wife, just relaxing. It’s a sad day when the work you are in doesn’t excite you anymore. All I want is a vacation and amazing quality time with those that I love. Obviously, you want me here today, so I ask that my mindset will be focused and determined. May I act on each part of this day as though I’m doing it for you, because I am and I need to remember exactly that.
[If you ever feel like this, dig deep and take the next step in FAITH. It can be so hard. I know. I was in such a state of mental and physical exhaustion. “Burnt out.” I didn’t want to do anything. I could do only one thing… depend 100% on Jesus.]
Jesus, thank you for the quality time I got to spend with me dad. I enjoyed talking to him about a variety of things… the business, politics, and most importantly, you. I loved every second of it. I pray there will be more of it as well. Thank you for blessing me with an amazing family. I’m so lucky.
[There’s something so special about those father-son talks. I cherish them.]
It was a joy to watch the boys play soccer this weekend. Schaefer had a beautiful goal, too. I’m so proud of them both. They work so hard. Schaefer’s middle school games start today. I pray that the team [my work team] will be able to handle the shop so I can go watch him play. I really don’t want to miss it.
[Today, I’m positioning the business to operate a lot more without me. It had years where it was able to, but in 2021 when I wrote this, our team was getting smaller and leaving during the business day was next to impossible. I just wanted to be able to leave the shop a little early to watch my son play soccer.]
Finally… I pray that this will be a great week at NS4L as we approach the “call for offers” next Monday at 5p deadline. If you’re willing, I’d like to sell the property at or above and beyond $3.5 million and start the next chapter of my career and have more time and freedom to spend with my family.
[$3.5 million was an offer we felt we could receive given the circumstances that surrounded everyone during these Covid times. It would help us pay off the commercial mortgage, the huge amount of business debt we had, and would still leave us with some for a fresh start. Today, I thank God for NOT bringing us that $3.5 million offer.]
I trust you though and know that you know what is best for me. So, I’ll wait to see what you have lined up and prepared for me. I just pray that this hard work over the last 17 years will have been worth it and that you have big plans for my life. I don’t want my time here on earth to have been wasted. I want to have meaningful impact that glorifies you as my savior.
[I want my time spent on earth to mean something. Even though I’ve realized that in the eyes of most, I’ve already lived a meaningful and impactful life, I still battle a fear of my time on earth being wasted… it not being impactful enough… I want to do more. It’s something I have to surrender to God regularly.]
Thank you for this life. Thank you for this opportunity to be alive. Thank you for the beautiful people in my life. Thank you.
I love you.
Collin
I grew up in an Air Force family. We moved every few years. Today, my siblings and their families and my parents all live in Gainesville, FL. I’m so grateful that we have all ended up here together! What a blessing!
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