Jake's Thought for the Week

PURPOSE
(An excerpt from the book Uncommon by Tony Dungy)

What kind of world do you want?
Think anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
History starts now
Be careful what you wish for
Start now.
~Five for Fighting, “World”~

SO WHY ARE YOU HERE, anyway? Why are you wherever you happen to be at the moment you read these words?

I believe that God knew that you would be in the spot you are in right now, with the passions and gifts that you have and the platform that only you enjoy. I believe that the imprint you are meant to leave on this world is not accidental or coincidental. Your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a uniquely significant and eternal impact on the world around you.

Think about that for a moment – your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a unique and significant impact on everyone you meet, and many you may never meet. What if we all lived our lives embracing that idea as true – what would our lives begin to look like? What would we attempt to do that we never would have attempted otherwise? What difference would we begin to make in the lives of those around us? What would our communities begin to look like? What would our schools begin to look like? How many of our children and youth who find themselves with no hope for tomorrow would suddenly begin to see the possibilities in their lives? What problems in the world that seem too big to resolve would begin to be addressed?

Though I do think there are things that each of us can do to improve ourselves and our lot in life, I believe first and foremost that I operate from God’s grace. That grace is not a license to do whatever I choose but rather an understanding that despite my best efforts, I will fall short in my striving for God, and that’s okay. Falling short is not the goal, but it’s still okay. When it happens, I get up, dust myself off, and press on toward the mark.

And as I press on, I think that I am called to ask, “What kind of world do I want?” Anyone can complain, but I need to be prepared to offer thoughts on how I can improve – myself, my home, the United States, and the world.

I read last summer that Indianapolis’s public schools had the nation’s lowest graduation rate for males – 19 percent. That’s fewer than one in five. My goal shouldn’t be to cast blame but rather to determine what I can do to make an impact on that statistic, even if it’s “only” for one kid. One kid, or one small group – and then another and another. And, who knows? As the word gets out about one-man crusade, maybe someone else will join the effort. How many kids could we reach then?

We have all seen people less fortunate than ourselves, others who seem to have little hope for anything to change in their lives without some external intervention. We have all been saddened as we watched people in less developed countries die from starvation or disease for want of food, medicine, or other things that we take for granted. We may not have the full solution or the wherewithal to solve these problems ourselves – but we do have our passions and abilities, and we can begin to make a difference today.

I believe my purpose is this: to serve the Lord and use all that He has given me to help others to the best of my ability. When I’m staying focused on that, it allows me to find the joy and abundant life that Christ promised, even if we don’t win the Super Bowl or I don’t meet every goal that I have for my life.

We’re not always going to reach those things we really desire; in fact, failure may happen more often than not. But we can find peace and happiness in the knowledge that we’re striving within our real purpose that honors God. If we’re striving only for ourselves, then we’ll be dissatisfied, always yearning for more, while the world waits.

Strive instead within a purpose – your purpose – that honors God.

Have a great week!

-Jake-