Life will try to get in the way. Count on it! Be prepared for it! Maintain focus and press on towards your goal.
It sounds a bit oxymoronish, but life seems to get in the way of living. Every single one of us has dreams. Nobody ever plans to become a drug addict or a prostitute. Nobody says their vows, wanting to go through a divorce, or is committed to becoming unhealthy. We set off on life’s journey with big dreams and high expectations… and that’s a good thing. But how many of us can actually say that we are living the dream; that life is all that we hoped it to be?
We miss out on truly living, when we compromise. We allow the expectations of society to crush our dreams, by living lives that fit the norm. Here’s a news flash… you and I were never meant to be put in a box and to live in the confines thereof. We are unique. Why do we place so much value on material possessions and status? Why is it so important to fit society’s mould? Why, as Christians, do we place more value on what the world thinks of us, than what God says about us? It’s about time that we stop bowing down to the god of comfort, The time has come to release those constraints that are holding us back from living a life of purpose. Those things that the world counts as important are sucking the life and passion out of us.
It will take a complete mindset change to realise that money makes life comfortable, but not purpose-filled. The more material things we have, the more chains are holding us back. This little story explains it perfectly. A man was sitting on the beach in front of his little shack, with a line in the water. He would catch a single fish to sell at the market, and in turn, use the money to buy food. A businessman saw him and asked him why he didn’t catch more fish. “Why?” he asked. “Well, then you can make more money and eventually buy a boat, that will enable you to catch even more fish.” “Why would I want to do that?” the fisherman responded confused. “Then you can make a lot of money, buy a house on the beach and relax every day.” The fisherman shrugged his shoulders and replied that he was doing that anyway.
We seem to do what the businessman was suggesting. We work ourselves silly, in a job that we hate, so that we can one day retire and rest, instead of doing something that we are passionate about. It might not pay as much as what Mr. Jones is getting, but we will be waking up, excited about the day and not wishing the week away so that we can have the weekend to recover. It doesn’t make sense to compromise a life of purpose and passion, for a life of comfort. When living comfortably is our goal, we are focusing on ourselves. When living purposefully, we are focusing on making a difference to others. As Christians, we are called to do the latter.
The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others
Have an amazing day.
Mark Davidson
