What gets your attention?
Warning: personal feelings alert. I might actually talk about what I am thinking today.
What makes me believe in God to the point where I want to get involved in a community I didn't really know about or understand?
Truthfully, I think it is sacrifices.
I have never had a lot of money (compared to my neighbors I should say.) Until I got my Buick I never owned a car that didn't want me to have a tetanus shot. I didn't have the really glamorous job. I have never been famous and even really known outside of my immediate neighborhood.
In short, I have been pretty much playing it safe my entire life.
Then yesterday I heard my friend Tim (his real name) speak. Every story is different and yet the same in one aspect or other. You have someone who is doing very well in the eyes of the earth.
Great job, success, climbing a corporate ladder...the whole package.
Then you hear how meaningless it became and how they left a lot of it behind.
Now I have been told money will not make you happy since day one. I rarely hear about that though from people that had much of it. Kind of like a guy that is afraid of heights telling you that skydiving isn't that big a deal.
I have had the honor of talking and meeting many of my the leaders of the church that I go to. They have one thing in common. They could be great successful executives and probably could make it in fortune 500 companies if they wished. I am not exaggerating that point either. In fact many of the leaders walked away from the ladder less than 10 years ago.
Sales people, plant managers, software engineers, corporate trainers... people that I wanted to be years ago but never had the "personality" to be. Our modern Hercules and Achilles in today's world. People that can attain money and power that are the modern gods of today's world. God knows that's what I wanted to be and what I hoped to be someday.
Over 2000 years ago two pairs of brothers walked away from a profitable fishing business to live a life of danger and sacrifice. If they would have decided to rather just put a little extra in the offering and continue fishing....well the apostle Peter and apostle John among others would probably have faded into obscurity. The original disciples knew what sacrifice was as well. John is the only one of the original disciples to not be killed for the faith.
I often have to ask myself, would these people walk away from all that unless they knew what they wanted and needed was much more?
I haven't left a lot behind. I am occasionally wondering, and it happens more frequently, if I am willing to lose my life to gain it. Am I trying to live a double life?
What makes me believe in God to the point where I want to get involved in a community I didn't really know about or understand?
Truthfully, I think it is sacrifices.
I have never had a lot of money (compared to my neighbors I should say.) Until I got my Buick I never owned a car that didn't want me to have a tetanus shot. I didn't have the really glamorous job. I have never been famous and even really known outside of my immediate neighborhood.
In short, I have been pretty much playing it safe my entire life.
Then yesterday I heard my friend Tim (his real name) speak. Every story is different and yet the same in one aspect or other. You have someone who is doing very well in the eyes of the earth.
Great job, success, climbing a corporate ladder...the whole package.
Then you hear how meaningless it became and how they left a lot of it behind.
Now I have been told money will not make you happy since day one. I rarely hear about that though from people that had much of it. Kind of like a guy that is afraid of heights telling you that skydiving isn't that big a deal.
I have had the honor of talking and meeting many of my the leaders of the church that I go to. They have one thing in common. They could be great successful executives and probably could make it in fortune 500 companies if they wished. I am not exaggerating that point either. In fact many of the leaders walked away from the ladder less than 10 years ago.
Sales people, plant managers, software engineers, corporate trainers... people that I wanted to be years ago but never had the "personality" to be. Our modern Hercules and Achilles in today's world. People that can attain money and power that are the modern gods of today's world. God knows that's what I wanted to be and what I hoped to be someday.
Over 2000 years ago two pairs of brothers walked away from a profitable fishing business to live a life of danger and sacrifice. If they would have decided to rather just put a little extra in the offering and continue fishing....well the apostle Peter and apostle John among others would probably have faded into obscurity. The original disciples knew what sacrifice was as well. John is the only one of the original disciples to not be killed for the faith.
I often have to ask myself, would these people walk away from all that unless they knew what they wanted and needed was much more?
I haven't left a lot behind. I am occasionally wondering, and it happens more frequently, if I am willing to lose my life to gain it. Am I trying to live a double life?
posted by Janus Torrell at 12:02 PM
3 Comments:
I know I can't live a life ripping people off of their hard earned cash- or lying thru my teeth, so I can't be a Corporate Exec-
I'd also like excessive money so I could happily throw it at those in need. I did that the last time I had some, so now am not better off- but that's okay. People suffered less because I wasn't selfish as some would be.
Funny you mention Apostle John, because that's the monk name my Uncle chose to have, due to identifying the most with him, when he gave up all else.
We ask and ask things from God constantly. But what do we offer in return? That is sacrifice (to me).
When I was a young man I tried the corporate thing...just didn't work.
I am a bad actor. :)
I don't have any monk uncles, but if I became a monk I would probably go by St. Adrian, just to see if Monks watch tv.
They do at Weston Priory (dot org), news mostly- in the common room, n they've produced some short films about the place.
They also have a computer n do email... n have an online store for their music!
That's how they support their missions in central n south America.
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