Awhile back, I prayed that God would help me see the full potential of those around me. I believe he has given talents to everybody, and I wanted to better recognize those talents in the people with whom I interact.
This isn't the first time I've asked God to show me things from His perspective. In the past, I've asked to be angered by the things that anger Him (some would call this "sensitivity to sin."). But once I started feeling really worked up by all the depravity in the world, I realized I needed to add another request to my list. I asked for a sense of sadness over things which make God sad. (In other words, "more compassion"). Generally, it's easier to follow God's rules when you have the same emotional response to the world He does, so I thought these prayers were a good place to start.
Unfortunately, ignorance IS bliss in some cases. And, by asking God to enlighten me with His perspective, I was opening myself to an uncomfortable, emotional roller-coaster ride. For instance, it turns out there's a lot of sad stuff in the world! People fight with eachother, they get sick, they die. But, what I didn't expect was how genuinely sad I would begin feeling when considering the plight of the unbeliever. They're like sheep without a master, Jesus said. I used to think He was frustrated with Jerusalem for rejecting Him. Disobedience does anger Him, after all.
But now I think Jesus spent more time choking back tears than raising his voice. "How often I have longed to gather [you, Jerusalem] together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing..." Unreturned love is very, very sad...
Anyway, back to my prayer about recognizing talent. God agreed to open my eyes, and I've been shown that humans are an incredible bunch. There is no shortage of creativity on this planet, and, if you need convincing, check out these videos of a Rube Goldberg Machine, and the Techno Jeep Music.
On the other hand, humans don't just do "cool" or "creative" things--we also are capable of rallying together and effecting major, positive changes around us. Some of us are great speakers, writers, and organizers. Others possess tireless energy and optimism for certain goals. Some are ready to write a check whenever the need arises. As a result, we can boast progress in cancer research, mobilization in the face of natural disasters, lowered teen pregnancy, longer life expectancy, and a whole host of other small victories for mankind. The only problem is: when people aren't given a reason for doing good, their activism has a lot of potential to fly off track...
A quick example would be the "green" movement. Now, as a Christan, I believe it's important not to abuse the earth, which has been entrusted to our care. But, we have to balance our desire to treat nature respectfully with the understanding that God filled the planet with natural resources for our use. If we don't keep a healthy perspective, our tree activism goes a little crazy.
Another example: the other day, Luke and I were following a car which had no fewer than 50 bumper stickers on the back, all of which had something to do with four-legged friends. ("Please spay and neuter your pet." "Cold noses make for the warmest hearts." "I love my shelter dogs." etc.) Now, as with the Tree Love, I'm not saying there's something inherently wrong with standing up for animal rights... But I can't help wondering what inspires such extreme passion...?
How does one decide "I'm going to be a voice for the animals of the world" while another says, "I'm concerned about childhood obesity." Think of the thousands of "causes" we could join. Why does Person One talk urgently about AIDS awareness, while Person Two can't stop thinking about people with unclean water in Rawanda?
I submit to you we have been given certain passions by God. But, those who don't submit to His Authority--Christians included--are missing the point.
I mused to Luke, "Well, everyone needs to have a cause. We need to feel like we have a purpose." And that's when the sadness settled in. Each of us already has a purpose, but some of us just don't know it. And, when people don't know the truth about Jesus or they've never asked Him what they should be doing with their lives, they'll latch onto any cause with the same sense of importance that was meant to be reserved for passionately loving God.
Before somebody points out the obvious, I have no idea whether the tree person OR the dog person was/wasn't a Christian. My question remains the same either way. What's your purpose? What's worth your time, money, and the space on the back of your car? What ignites extreme passion in you, and WHY?
What if the green activist believed there is a God whose return will be soon, and PEOPLE were going to die in sin? I bet she would make one awesome evangelist, full of genuine compassion for humanity. God created her, an emotion-filled, outspoken individual, but I wonder if He cries when her talents are directed at the trees... What if the animal rights activist were just as concerned with lost souls as lost puppies? If there is a God who demands holiness, that's a much bigger-picture issue than whether we neuter Fido. She was created with a talent for "spreading the word" and unashamedly declaring her beliefs to the world. I can just see the amazing things God has in mind for her, if she lets Him.
Everybody has talents. And everybody feels compelled to use those talents for a cause.
What is your cause, and why?
Addendum: I forgot to mention another thing I saw this week--a person looking for purpose in a heartbreaking dead-end situation. He posted to a discussion forum that people who believe in an afterlife are simply unable to accept that "when you're dead, you're dead." Yet, he "loves life" too much to debate with believers--and he would rather contribute to "good causes" like "life-extending research and cryogenic preservation." (In other words, he wants to be frozen and later thawed to live again.) He tried gathering support from others willing to donate to the cause.
I would argue: it seems as though NEITHER of us accepts the"when you're dead, you're dead" philosophy. But what a sad example of the way one can spend time/resources if he won't accept the purposes given to him by God.
One of my favorite things about chapel at Taylor (especially Upland) was getting to hear speakers from all the different organizations. It always amazed me how each speaker spoke with such passion that it felt like their was nothing more important in the world than their mission--until the next speaker. It's like God knows that we need crazy passion to be truly motivated to do His work, so He gives each of us the idea that inner-city missions, or stopping human trafficking, or reach lost people in Zimbabwe is the most important thing ever. Even though we technically know that the other work is vital, our hearts can't help but ache more for that specific burden God gave us.
ReplyDeleteI was recently accepted on staff with Gospel for Asia (gfa.org) and that's exactly the way I feel about it. There are so many ministries to answer tragedies that break my heart, but nothing is worse to me than the reality of 2.7 billion people who still have no access to the Gospel. And I can give you plenty of reasons for reaching the unreached, but why am I dedicated to Asia rather than Africa or Papua New Guinea or... somewhere else? I honestly can't say anything except that I'm just... compelled.
As for non-Christians, I definitely agree that they're missing the point. Sadly, I think even us Christians miss the point pretty often ourselves.
Great example, Bethany. When we recognize our passions are given to us from the Lord, then His purposes fulfill us in ways we never can achieve latching onto any old cause.
ReplyDeleteI heard a preacher one time suggest there are precisely enough doctors, farmers, teachers, city workers, etc. born each year--but not everybody lives up to their potential. (Also, he pointed out that we abort many of those would-be civil servants before they even take their first breath. Talk about not reaching potential.)
But, if we relinquish our talents to God, He puts us exactly where we're needed and, as you say, eventually all of us get the feeling we're doing the best/most important job in the world...
It just saddens me to see talents-gone-misdirected and think about how useful those people could be--if they cried out to God rather than crying out to, uh, trees.