It's amazing how often in life we become our own worst enemies. We find ourselves searching for meaning and significance in all the wrong places. It's like trying to reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We believe true happiness will be ours when we gain fame, fortune and friends. We are either unhappy on our path because what we have is never enough, or once we reach our goal, we find it doesn't meet this need that sent us on this quest to begin with.
Charles Hedges, in his book Getting the Right Things Right puts it this way, “Sometimes the life we think we want (which is often the life we reach for without thinking) isn't the life we truly long for. The life we desire deep in our being is the one we were created to have, consistent with the way God made us. That's where we find the significance we're after.”
You see, life can be an exciting and fulfilling process in which we “BE-come” something wonderful if we make the right choices, or we can “BE-come” something void of true value if we choose the wrong path, or no path at all. I believe true significance and fulfillment are realized when we focus our energies on what God has created us to be and seek to live out that life to the best of our abilities.
Suppose the goal we set for ourselves is, “I want to BE-come everything God sees in me.” What does His vision for each of us look like? How do we reach this goal?
We can start by looking at our life right now. What roles and responsibilities has God given me already? How can I be the best at what I am called to do right now? You see, things with eternal significance don't necessarily look like much in our day-to-day activities. It's about being a friend to someone who's having a bad day, doing our best to love and care for those around us whether that's family members, friends or co-workers. It's about saying and doing the right things when those around us are not.
You see these small actions invite God into our lives. We ask for assistance in our daily activities and He gives us the strength to do the right things. In the process our character is shaped and formed until people don't see us, they see Christ.
We also need to examine the gifts God has given us in an effort to use them in the same manner. When my daughters were young they began listening to the radio and noticing the “stars” in magazines and on TV. I explained that God had given both Madonna and Amy Grant this wonderful ability to sing. Whereas Amy Grant chose to use her gift for singing Christian music, Madonna chose to sing songs that offended people to gain money and popularity. One used her gift with the eternal in mind, the other did not.
It isn't always easy to live the path of eternal significance either. Sometimes doing the right thing will cause us to clash with the world and its values. We may find ourselves in a position where doing the right thing will mean not fudging on our taxes, not gossiping about others, refusing to go along with the crowd, and standing up for the right thing at work even if it puts us at odds with our superiors. Martin Luther found that out when he disagreed with the church and their use of indulgences.
It's never too late to change or adjust our path. It's simply a matter of stopping each day and praying for the opportunity to see the right thing to do, and then asking God to give us the strength to do it. It's our chance in life to make a difference and leave a small, yet meaningful piece of ourselves behind. And in the process we will find we are living a life of meaning and significance, the one God created us for.