What do you want to do?
Aug 3rd, 2009 by ljkim
Maybe it’s because we live in a materialistic society, but we tend to think more about the things we really *want* and less about the things we really want to *do.* So you wouldn’t say it out loud but you probably have a pretty clear idea of what kind of car you want to drive, what kind of position you want to have (by a particular age), what kind of person you want to marry. We picture having attained a certain level of education, social standing, financial comfort. But at the same time many of us don’t have a clue as to what we want to DO to get all these things. What we *do* is just a minor detail, whereas the main course is the stuff we GET… So many gifted creative talented people have no idea what they want to do with their lives…
Now there’s nothing wrong with having stuff. But when Jesus talks about being a servant, (and how human greatness is tied to serving) it means that the point in life is not about the stuff you get, but the stuff you DO. What do you want to do? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to make happen? How will you serve God and people and bring the world to its next higher step? Jesus is saying THAT should be the main event, the thing you have clear. In this paradigm the stuff that you get, the degrees, the houses, the positions, the status – are all just tools for the job at hand. A good craftsman enjoys a good set of tools, but the tools serve the purpose and not the other way around.
Most people are miserable because of things they don’t have… whether possessions or positions or respect or love. But simply having these things won’t actually make you happy – there are plenty of people who have what you want and are miserable. So why not start thinking like Jesus and focus instead about what you can DO? Dogs and horses are happy when they are do-ing what they were made to do. Jesus owned almost nothing, but He was never poor in being able to DO things… And He promised the same for you. He never promised you would GET things, but He promised that you would be able to DO even greater things He did…
So take a look at the happiest people you come across, and ask “are they the people who HAVE the most or DO the most?” How does the level of stuff they HAVE (whether possessions or positions or degrees) correspond with their level of happiness? And how does their level of happiness correspond with how much they DO?
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