“But the quest for significance is a delicate dance. If I do it by myself for myself, it’s death. If I do it with God for others, it’s life, because whatever I do with God for others does not go back in the box.”- John Ortberg
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. . .”- Matthew 5:13 (NIV)
As John Ortberg concludes Chapter 14 of When the Game is Over, he stresses that God’s plan for you involves a mission and a destiny. Starting here and now. Most noteworthy, that mission and destiny doesn’t center on building your own little kingdom. Rather, it focuses on becoming rich toward God.
When God presented Moses with his mission, one question God asked Moses was, “What is that in your hand?” For Moses, his staff represented his livelihood, resources, and security.
Today God still asks that question of us. Your God-given gifts, temperament, experience, education, etc. all help determine your mission. Martin Seligman refers to these gifts as “signature strengths.” In addition, these human abilities fall into certain categories, including wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, and justice. Thus, the ones that resonate most with you constitute your signature strengths.
Yet, sometimes people think their weaknesses rob them of any chance of having a significant mission in life. In fact, the opposite rings true. God never wastes a human hurt. Also, struggle makes a human life most powerful. Therefore, your greatest burden often becomes your greatest gift.
In conclusion, Pastor Ortberg exhorts, spend some time feeding your divine discontent. As a result, a sense of mission will burn brightly in you. Frederick Buechner (Beyond Words) writes that generally God calls you to work:
“(a) that you need to do and (b) that the world needs to have done. . . . The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures inspire your quest for significance? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our God-assigned mission, or a shadow mission?”
