So How’s It Going—Really, I Mean It!!!
There is a social awkwardness that seems to dominate the people I meet. You have probably had the same experience—let me explain what I mean.
I am walking down the hall at the gym and I see someone and ask, “How’s it going?” To me this is a question…and I must admit I do not want the 30 minute version of their life story; however, I do want an answer. But all too often the other person will respond by asking me the exact same question, “How’s it going?” I want to yell, “I asked you first!!!”
I have pondered the reason for this and the only thing I have came up with is that the other person either does not think I care OR they really don’t have anything good to talk about.
The other response I get is one that drives me up the wall—especially when it is given by a Christ Follower. Once again I ask, “How’s it going,” and they respond, “I’m barely making it.” This makes me want to throw up.
I have this belief (it actually comes from Scripture) that each and every person on this big ball of dirt called earth was custom designed by God. (I can see it now—God is putting us all together in heaven—maybe in reality show style…and the angels are watching…and the show is called, ‘Pimp my hide!”)
Sorry—I digressed!
Anyway, I really do believe that each one of us has a purpose in life…and it is not just to see how much oxygen we can consume or how many blisters we can form on our rear ends as a result of sitting around and doing nothing.
Jesus said in John 10:10 that He wanted us to have life—life to the full. I honestly do not think Jesus spilled His blood on the cross so that His followers can walk around and brag about how we are all “barely making it!” And I don’t think He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of us so we can merely survive—He wants us to thrive!
So why do so many people, even Christians, feel like, “if I can just make it through this day…or this week…or this project then I will be ok?” I believe it is because too many of us become passionate about the pursuit of things that are not in line with the purpose for which we were designed.
One of the verses I have been wrestling with lately is Psalm 37:4, it tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. I have heard that verse nearly all of my Christian life and I believe I am finally beginning to discover what that means…that if I will learn how to continually and completely fall in love with Jesus then He will blow my mind with the full, abundant life that will take me to places that I have never even dreamed.
The problem is that too many people have re-written that verse. To them it may say, “Delight yourself in your career…or your car…or your home…or your kids…or having a dating relationship,” you get the picture. So people relentlessly pursue all these things…and because of that they fall out of love with Jesus and merely begin to admire Him from a distance.
And that is why people feel they are “barely making it.”
So how are you doing—really? Are you surviving—or thriving? Has there ever been a time that you seriously got along with God and asked, “OK, you designed me—but for what?” It bothers me that so many people in our country feel trapped in dead end jobs…and the only reason they stay working where they are is because they are dominated by feelings of inferiority and insecurity. So many people I know pursue the career that their parents wanted them to pursue, or their friends—but what about God—what does He want? If you don’t discover your purpose then you will always be in survival mode.
One more thing—God wants you to know your purpose more than you want to know it. All too often we think of God’s purpose for our lives as this HUGE heavenly secret…and in order to get it we have to read our Bible’s, stand on our heads—and read the Prayer of Jabez. But the Bible says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord—continually learn to fall more and more in love with Him—then He will rock our world with His plan.
He didn’t create us to survive—He wants us to thrive!!!