Don't stop asking...

When I was a young adult, the million dollar question was always, “What do I want to be when I grow up? What do I want to do with my life?” or, to put it another way, “What does God want me to do with my life?  What is God’s will for my life?”  And, looking back, I think that I really believed that there was one golden answer to that question and if I could only find that answer, I would be set on a clear course for the rest of my life.  However, I realize now that it’s really not that simple.  Answering the question “What should I do with my life?” is not a one-time deal.  It’s an on-going process.  And, while you may have a relatively clear overarching theme for your life, the details of how that theme will play itself out change over time – leaving you to ask the question again and again as you grow and learn and mature.

Maybe I’m having a mid-life crisis – or maybe I’ve just been motivated by the things that I’ve been reading and hearing and seeing recently – but I’ve spent a lot of time asking myself “What exactly is it that I’m supposed to be doing right now?  In light of all that’s happening in the world, how should I be responding?  Because, somehow it just doesn’t feel right to sit idly by and watch as the world we live in plunges further and further into chaos…”

Should I pray?  Always!  Without ceasing…

Should I give more?  Absolutely!  We are blessed beyond measure and called to generosity…

Should I do more to raise awareness?  Of course. 

But, somehow –while all of those things are good – they don’t seem quite good enough – at least not now – at least not for me…

Eugene Cho recently said, “Awareness, in itself, is action, but we must make sure that it isn’t the totality of our action.  Awareness must lead to change – not just to the world but especially to me.”

Those statements ring so true to me.  Technology has made us more aware than ever of the suffering that’s going on in the world, but in some ways, I think that it’s made us more complacent.  We see it – We feel bad about it – We post on facebook about how terrible it is – We tweet a 140 character commentary about it with a special hashtag that binds us together in solidarity with others who have similar concerns – And, then, we go on about our lives and that thing that seemed so atrocious last week slips quietly into the recesses of our mind where it becomes a distant memory instead of a call to action.

I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past week, and I’ve realized that I’ve gotten a bit too comfortable with where I am.  When I look at the spectrum of doing nothing to sacrificing it all for the sake of a cause, I’m probably somewhere in the middle – which isn’t necessarily bad.  But, I think that I may have settled for “good enough” instead of going the extra mile and striving for “the best.” 

I feel like God is saying:  “Contend for the best!  Don’t slow down!  Don’t give up!  The world needs you.  It needs your unique talents and gifts.  It needs you to do the messy work of getting involved.  There are people out there who need the Good News that you have to share.  They need to know that there’s hope when their world seems hopeless.  They need to know that there is peace when their world is filled with war and violence.  They need to know that there is pure love when they have been lured from their families into a life of forced prostitution. They need to know that there is provision when they are surrounded by famine and poverty.  And, they need to know the source of that hope and love and peace and provision.  They need to be introduced to a God that loves then unconditionally.  They need you to be the hands and feet of God reaching out in love with a message of hope and redemption.” 

So, now is not the time to stop asking that age-old question:  “What should I do with my life?”  There’s always more, and the best is yet to come.  Don’t settle.  Don’t get complacent.  It’s time for all of us to “kick it up a notch” if we want to make an impact on the world around us.

I’ll leave you with the words of David Platt:  “…Don’t underestimate what God will do in and through one person, one family, or one church for the spread of the gospel and the sake of his glory in our culture… Do these things with the unshakable conviction that God has put you in this culture at this time for a reason.  He has called you to himself, he has saved you by his son, he has filled you with his Spirit, he has captured you with his love, and he is compelling you by his Word to counter our culture by proclaiming his Kingdom, not worried about what it will cost you because you are confident that God himself is your great reward.”  -- from A Compassionate Call to Counter