What should our roles in life be?
More than where I live, what I eat and what I will drive in a year…
I’m learning what I do and who it counts for.
Let me explain.
I have a life to live, so it’s pretty obvious that I need to do things to survive. I need money to pay for my lifestyle and therefore I need to keep working to keep my job. I have personal goals and dreams that I hope in Christ to achieve in this life, so I need to work hard to achieve them. This is life. This is what we all do, in our own ways, all very different but similar in that, in the end, we are all concerned with the pursuit of happiness, whatever we determine that to be. Happiness can be something in the stomach, something to cover our heads, something to do that is challenging and inspiring, and someone to love. All things in the way called life.
It is what I do on this path called life that I am learning.
Am I so caught up that instead of picking up the phone and asking a friend if he’s okay, I play selfish scenarios in my own head? Am I kind enough to ask someone struggling with a goal, dream, or plan how I can support them, or is it more convenient to talk behind their back about impending failure? Do I forgive someone for the same mistake over and over again, until I am simply unable to keep track, or do I prefer to imagine that I am being taken for a joke or a fool? Do I step out of my comfort zone to listen or talk to those who seem abandoned, lost and angry, or is it none of my business? Do I care enough to give a friend in need some time to rant, or am I sighing as my peace and sanity are gone?
What do I do with what I have? Do I give thanks for what I have and imagine that this is how I determine that God is good to me? That He has given me things when others have not, and when I do not deserve this? Or do I look at what He has given me and see how I can extend it to others? Did He, in fact, give me what he gave me, so that my mind would be free from material worries and more receptive to the needs of my neighbor? Can I see how the food in my stomach, and consequently the strength of it, can mean that I can do what I need to do when a neighbor needs me? Did he give me gifts and talents so that he can use them to uplift, nurture and share with humanity, or am I so blessed to be able to get what I can for myself?
My role in life is to work to achieve my goals and my dreams. I must share my humanity, and this means participating fully with all those who have been given to me, and the others I have yet to find. I must share by being there in whatever capacity I am needed, and when. I don’t have to worry about my ego or myself. I don’t need to know if I’m being ridiculous or not. It’s not my job to figure out where my help starts and where it should end. I just have to share my humanity, participating fully in the lives of my brothers and sisters, in whatever capacity is required of me.
God gives me my strength. He reveals himself to me in my interaction with others. He shows his love through us. It is because of what we say to ourselves and to others, the opportune kind word, the non-judgmental face and the generous smile. It is the unexpected meal, the surprise donation, the invitation to the house and the volunteer time, that we share our humanity. We don’t have to go out into the world and stand among trees and bulldozers and so on to make a difference in our lives.
It’s the little things we do that make the difference. Say hello to the stranger because you don’t know if he has heard a human word all day. Smile at anyone whose gaze meets yours, because you don’t know if he’s seen anything human all day. Allow an impatient person, give to a greedy person, forgive those who seek to embarrass you. Allow yourself to trade your worldly and personal convictions for peace. Allow your mind to be free of judgments and dogmas and change it for love. Give up your preconceived notions about life and live.
My role in life is to live, not just do things to survive.