Run Your Life Into a Ditch, and Then Get Rewarded

My daughter once asked me how to get into motivational speaking. I told her, sort of tongue-in-cheek, that she could run her life into a ditch, and then write a book telling other people how not to repeat her mistakes. I tried to convince myself that I was at least half kidding, but I really wasn't.

Timing had a lot to do with my answer that day. I had just watched a news story on Walter Pavlo. Pavlo was a senior manager at MCI who oversaw the $1 billion monthly billing and collection department for MCI’s carrier finance division. In March 1996, Pavlo started a fraud scheme with someone outside of MCI. Within six months, Pavlo and his partner had stolen $6 million from seven MCI customers.



Pavlo ended up serving 22 months in prison. When he was released, no one would hire him. So he went to work as a public speaker, teaching how and why individuals commit fraud. He made six-figures his first year out the gate.

Pavlo's story is one of restoration and hope. Proverbs 24:16 says that a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. This scripture tells us that even the righteous man comes up short sometimes. But even when we hit an all-time low, not only can we get back up, but we can get back in line. Now I'm not suggesting that anyone should set out to deliberately ruin their life. But when we fall, God, our redeemer, can deliver us from our sin AND its consequences.

I'm Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.