What Am I Doing Here?

My Grandpa Spaulding was a quiet, reserved man, but he had a refreshing sense of humor. He never told jokes, but he loved to read them in the weekly publication of “The Grit” and in various books of classic collected comics. One of his favorites was Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” and he owned several paperback books of the old-style cartoons the author had drawn when the strip was new. Even before I learned to read, I enjoyed consuming the contents of these books repeatedly on my regular visits to the farm.

In one episode I have recalled often over the years, Charlie Brown brings a book home from the library, sits comfortably under a tree and reads: “A man was born. He lived and he died. The end.” Charlie puts the book aside and remarks, “What a great story. Fascinating. It almost makes you wish you had known the man.”

What is Life All About Anyway?

Man has searched for meaning in life for millennia. Questions like, “Why was I born?” and “What is my purpose?” have been the impetus for thousands of self-help books, recordings, seminars, and conferences for decades. Unfortunately, nearly all these sincere efforts to help us end up falling far short of the ultimate reason we live, and move, and have our being. Their accumulate result is the reduction of our vision to mere human existence. They do not and cannot account for men and women who were acclaimed because they understood the authentic intention for our presence in the world and acted on it. The exhaustive list includes:
William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army to serve the urban poor globally.
Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to the destitute in Calcutta and beyond.
Billy Graham, who preached to more people in person than anyone in history.
Katherine Johnson, whose calculations were critical to early U.S. space missions.
Steve Jobs, who transformed personal computing and mobile phones.
Warren Buffett, whose munificent giving affects health, education, and poverty on a worldwide scale.

Additionally, we are all aware of people who labor in anonymity and obscurity in this world but are well-known to their Creator.

All these and a host of others have this in common:
They lived far above and went far beyond
what most people would ever
imagine or believe possible for themselves.

We are not called to perform the same duties in this life, nor are we gifted and talented alike. However, we are all charged with the same mission, and we are all offered the same destiny in Christ as anyone else on the planet. God did not create people to be born, to live, and to die. He did not create people to be born, then to be born again, and then to die. NO! We are created for life that is challenging and energizing above all we can ask or think. To discover this life requires that we grasp and accept the master plan God designed for us before we narrow our focus to determine our “spiritual aptitudes” and unique places in the Body.

The Big Picture

God created you:
To be an instrument of praise and worship.
To act as a steward of everything He has made.
To enjoy a personal, genuine friendship with Him.
To be with Him in Heaven forever. (Your own individual place near Jesus has been planned and prepared and is ready for you!)

God created you to be a fearless influencer:
In whatever society with which you associate.
In whatever neighborhood you live.
In whatever place you are employed.
In whatever earthly family you have a part.

You are created to be a world changer!

“That does not sound like me,” you reply. If so, your vision for your own story is too small. You may not make headlines across the globe, but the world should be altered for the sake and cause of Jesus Christ because you were here.

You Are an Influencer

Catherine Aird, the pen name of Kinn Hamilton McIntosh, wrote in her 1973 crime novel His Burial Too:
“If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”
Exactly! You will exercise your power of influence through the choices you make and the way you live.

It was Francis of Assisi who said,
“Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.”

As an agent appointed to bring reconciliation to those who do not know Jesus as Savior, you have the potential and the capability to bring salvation’s influence into your community, your vocation, and your family. People should be attracted to a relationship with Jesus because of the way you live. When this occurs, your family changes, your workplace changes, your neighborhood changes, and your city changes.

Pam and I were called to our first senior minister position at a small church in a little community, (population ~600), in the most unchurched county of the most unchurched state in America. It was a poor, rough, and sometimes dangerous place for our four children and us to make our home. There were days when the only accomplishment we managed was just to live there another day. The culture and the character of the town were akin to serving on foreign soil in many respects.

We set out to see growth in the church and real change in the community. We hacked away the brush surrounding the parsonage and turned it into attractive landscape. We did the same sort of facelift on the church building and grounds which sat on the main road through town. I joined the only civic group available: the Chamber of Commerce and established a relationship with the Superintendent of Schools. We helped revive the community’s Fourth of July Parade, setting up the grandstand on the church lawn. We worked in the enormous food bank every month. Our lives became interwoven with the people of the town and an esprit de corps took hold.

Before long, we saw many homes painted and lawns mowed. Junk piles in front yards disappeared, blue tarps gave way to roof repair and replacement, and the tiny town park became a place to play and picnic once again. Children all over town and on the adjacent Indian reservation proudly wore their bright blue tees from our weekly kids’ clubs. People came to the church for the first time, many with a testimony like, “Since you have been here, we began to think if we ever needed a church, this is where we should come.” The biggest marijuana dealer in the county, one of our neighbors, gave his life to Christ and got out of the business. There is much more we could report.

None of these results were due to us! It required no extraordinary human effort, “churchy” gimmicks, door-to-door evangelism, or advertising campaigns. We made the decision to live as Christian influencers and world changers in our tiny corner of creation, others joined us, and the Holy Spirit brought about the outcomes.

Lifting Your Sights

Living life that spreads Godly influence takes tremendous faith, and this reveals why the majority of Christians live far below their ultimate purpose. The writer of Hebrews hit the nail on the head when he emphasized that we must “go on to maturity” in Christ. We must grow up and begin to accept responsibility as prepared and developed disciples of Christ. Too often we are content to stop at our point of entry into the eternal Kingdom of God relieved that we made it thus far, but clueless and helpless relating to going any further.

Strengthening and perfecting faith to fulfill your ultimate purpose depends on the words you take in and the relationship you cultivate with Jesus as your Savior, your Lord, and your Friend. These are direct connections to His power that will transform you to DARE to live a life of fearless influence, to be an instrument for His glory, and to change our world.

Your trust in God will advance in proportion to your familiarity and understanding of His Holy Word: your Bible. Your relationship with God will deepen when, and only when, you schedule time to focus on His unbroken, unceasing, and unending presence with you. Yes, it comes down to the same solution you are given time and again. More than an oft-repeated, worn-out adage, it is the Truth, the truth that will set you free for your preeminent objective.

Read your Bible! Speak with God daily in prayer!

Then you can and will embrace God’s ultimate purpose as your first-priority mission in life!

You were born to be fearless!

You were born to change the world!