What is it you really want out of life? Are you happy where you are or do you feel like you should be doing more? Walt Whitman said that, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”. We put on a great façade, but inside we are secretly dying. Christians are particularly adept at this. We show up every Sunday determined to convince everyone gathered that we have it all together. Deep within us there is a curious but insistent longing. We know we were created for more but we can’t seem to put our finger on what that “more” looks like.
The problem is we spend our time looking for answers in the wrong places. In our quest to live a fulfilling spiritual life, we seek redemption in the physical realm. If we could just have more, be more, or do more, we believe it would quell the constant ache within our souls. That will only be true if we frame those things with a proper Christ-centered perspective. More stuff will never make us happy. More notoriety, by itself, will only breed isolation and loneliness. Doing more simply to be busy causes frustration and burn out.
The key to all of this is doing everything we do with an eye towards seeing the Kingdom of God manifested here on earth. This means living like Jesus did, loving and bringing hope to all. We find significance only when we are doing the things He created us to do. We were not created to accumulate material goods or achieve fame for ourselves. The purpose for each of our lives is to become a person that thinks, acts, and talks like Jesus. Anything outside of that will feed the ache of insignificance within us.
In a culture that encourages and rewards selfishness, it is a daunting task to live in an others-focused way. Yet we are the messengers of God, appointed to deliver the hope of Christ to a world in desperate need of redemption. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, commissioned to go and tell them of His love and mercy (Matthew 28:19-20). If we have chosen to follow Christ and make Him the Lord of our lives, that is our mission. Anytime we lose sight of that, we travel down a road of selfishness which ultimately leads to desperation. We have been called to more.
As you ponder what you wish to accomplish in your life, never forget it should always tie in to the ultimate mission of sharing the love and hope of Jesus to the world. We are here to be different, to be ambassadors of the good news of Christ. Our life mission is to further the mission of Jesus. Everything else is worthless noise that only clouds our eyes and dirties our souls. It’s all about Jesus. Nothing else matters. Devotion is not conditional. Discipleship is not optional. What do you want out of life? I want Jesus.