Focus and pure purpose
This week is on 2 Timothy 2:3-7:
We are limited in what we can do. That's not what we're taught by our modern multitasking society, but it's the truth. There is only so much we can accomplish in our short lives on earth. It's an issue all of us probably have to come to terms with at some point in our lives. It was even an issue in Paul's time.
In Paul's time, people wanted to get wealthy, increase their livestock, produce large prosperous families, build huge sprawling mansions, buy fancy clothes to impress their neighbors, throw lavish parties, spend years studying obscure subjects so they could argue intelligently with their peers at those lavish parties, and so on. Things aren't very different today. In fact, they're probably worse. We live in a world of infinite choices. Given a dwindling amount of time and resources at our disposal, what do we do? It's natural to be somewhat scattered. We live in a very distracting world.
Military people don't involve themselves in civilian affairs. They can't. How many active duty military personnel have you ever seen run for president? In order to serve in a role like that, you couldn't simultaneously be on the battlefield. You have to make a choice. You don't typically see Army guys hosting TV shows, starring in movies, farming, etc. You can either be engaged in what you're supposed to be doing, or you can be elsewhere. Patton didn't blaze across the territory he took during World War Two by trying to squeeze war in between golf tournaments. He didn't take time off after the North Africa campaign to get a masters degree in late nineteenth century women's studies before continuing on through Europe. He had a purpose and he stuck to his purpose. That's what Paul is talking about.
Great athletes spend tons of time focused on their sports. They spend many hours a day in practice. They don't have time for being great in other areas, because they've had to make a decision to concentrate on something that matters to them. It's not that they don't care about other things. It's just that they understand their time and resources are limited, and they're going to invest them in things that will help them accomplish what they need to accomplish. Does anyone get to be an olympic athlete by sitting all day in a gaming chair slugging down mountain dew and watching an imaginary man kill imaginary monsters?
The hard working farmer gets the first share. The dedicated athlete gets the prize. The wholehearted soldier gets the promotion and the favor of his commander. These are basic principles that also tell a secret about how we are to live our lives. If you have a purpose, you should be focused on that purpose. Many soldiers had families. Many athletes ran successful businesses. And many farmers had active social lives. Dedication isn't an ascetic call to become a poor, lonely hermit. The key is that people with a call on their lives, people with a proud purpose, have always known that to be excellent they have to focus on their work.
The happiest times of my life have been when my purpose was simple and spelled out for me. I've been to military training where you start the day in the dark with brutal exercise, and then spend the whole day learning one complicated thing after another. I've been on training trips where I barely had any free time at all, which cost a lot of money, all to pack my head full of stuff in a short period of time. I've done physical labor my feeble white-collar body was not prepared for, in places I wouldn't have chosen to live or vacation. All of those things have been way more enjoyable than the unfulfilling days I've spent meandering, drawn between hundreds of things demanding my attention, accomplishing nothing. I think it's essential to our happiness that we live lean focused lives, and the best thing to focus on is the thing we were designed for.
In order to make the right decisions for your life, you need to know who you are and why you're here. Only God can tell you that. If you don't know, maybe your purpose right now is to find out. If you do know, and your decisions don't match up with it, you're not on the promotion track. You're not a contender for the gold. And you certainly won't win any prizes at the fair. You'll end your life in bland mediocrity, having mixed your salt with the tasteless things of the world. Wouldn't it be better to be pure?
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
We are limited in what we can do. That's not what we're taught by our modern multitasking society, but it's the truth. There is only so much we can accomplish in our short lives on earth. It's an issue all of us probably have to come to terms with at some point in our lives. It was even an issue in Paul's time.
In Paul's time, people wanted to get wealthy, increase their livestock, produce large prosperous families, build huge sprawling mansions, buy fancy clothes to impress their neighbors, throw lavish parties, spend years studying obscure subjects so they could argue intelligently with their peers at those lavish parties, and so on. Things aren't very different today. In fact, they're probably worse. We live in a world of infinite choices. Given a dwindling amount of time and resources at our disposal, what do we do? It's natural to be somewhat scattered. We live in a very distracting world.
Military people don't involve themselves in civilian affairs. They can't. How many active duty military personnel have you ever seen run for president? In order to serve in a role like that, you couldn't simultaneously be on the battlefield. You have to make a choice. You don't typically see Army guys hosting TV shows, starring in movies, farming, etc. You can either be engaged in what you're supposed to be doing, or you can be elsewhere. Patton didn't blaze across the territory he took during World War Two by trying to squeeze war in between golf tournaments. He didn't take time off after the North Africa campaign to get a masters degree in late nineteenth century women's studies before continuing on through Europe. He had a purpose and he stuck to his purpose. That's what Paul is talking about.
Great athletes spend tons of time focused on their sports. They spend many hours a day in practice. They don't have time for being great in other areas, because they've had to make a decision to concentrate on something that matters to them. It's not that they don't care about other things. It's just that they understand their time and resources are limited, and they're going to invest them in things that will help them accomplish what they need to accomplish. Does anyone get to be an olympic athlete by sitting all day in a gaming chair slugging down mountain dew and watching an imaginary man kill imaginary monsters?
The hard working farmer gets the first share. The dedicated athlete gets the prize. The wholehearted soldier gets the promotion and the favor of his commander. These are basic principles that also tell a secret about how we are to live our lives. If you have a purpose, you should be focused on that purpose. Many soldiers had families. Many athletes ran successful businesses. And many farmers had active social lives. Dedication isn't an ascetic call to become a poor, lonely hermit. The key is that people with a call on their lives, people with a proud purpose, have always known that to be excellent they have to focus on their work.
The happiest times of my life have been when my purpose was simple and spelled out for me. I've been to military training where you start the day in the dark with brutal exercise, and then spend the whole day learning one complicated thing after another. I've been on training trips where I barely had any free time at all, which cost a lot of money, all to pack my head full of stuff in a short period of time. I've done physical labor my feeble white-collar body was not prepared for, in places I wouldn't have chosen to live or vacation. All of those things have been way more enjoyable than the unfulfilling days I've spent meandering, drawn between hundreds of things demanding my attention, accomplishing nothing. I think it's essential to our happiness that we live lean focused lives, and the best thing to focus on is the thing we were designed for.
In order to make the right decisions for your life, you need to know who you are and why you're here. Only God can tell you that. If you don't know, maybe your purpose right now is to find out. If you do know, and your decisions don't match up with it, you're not on the promotion track. You're not a contender for the gold. And you certainly won't win any prizes at the fair. You'll end your life in bland mediocrity, having mixed your salt with the tasteless things of the world. Wouldn't it be better to be pure?
Comments
Post a Comment