Today Jon Acuff’s new book Quitter came out. I am fascinated by his book because I think his book addresses 90% of our population, people who have been sucked into the American dream. Maybe most of us don’t have the car yet, or the house, or the guy or girl, so the American dream seems just so slightly out of reach. But the ugly step sister of the American dream is this idea of working primarily just to survive. They are somehow grossly related, all in the same family.
I have worked in collegiate ministry for the past 3 years, and one of the phrases that I always share with my recent graduates is “Welcome to the other side.” The reality is that the other side is scary. It’s not the responsibility of paying your bills and pursuing independence that is scary, but rather the responsibility of choice. Before college graduation, your life map was prepared for you. You just did school. You never questioned your worth or value. Because let’s face it, we all have to graduate high school and get a college degree, so it’s a carefree and joyous season in life.
After school, the trap of working to survive is silently waiting for us. It’s tragic actually. I get it. But I can claim without hesitation, we are created for something greater, for something more. God gathered together His church not to survive, but to be banners of salt and light to a world that needs truth.
This concept of pursuing your dream is only for those of us that are courageous at heart and willing to take risks based on faith. And by dream, I mean that BIG thing that we do for God that make us feel most alive and most satisfied. Piper refers to this as hedonism. However, our dream requires great amounts of obedience and equal amounts of sacrifice. Most people will think you are crazy and there is potential for the path to be lonely. But from experience, HE IS WORTH IT. The satisfaction that comes from serving the One we were Created makes it worth everything. Then the American dream becomes the idol that we lay at His feet in surrender.
Praying today that God gives us the heart for obedience and the strength and courage to make the first step of faith.
*I know that Quitter is on my reading list for the summer, is it on yours?
*If you were independently wealthy and you knew that you would be successful, “What courageous things would you pursue for the Kingdom?” What is your dream job?
1 comment:
Bah, this was timely. And you even wrote it before our lunch together :)
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