(The last three paragraphs of my Random Reflections column for the February Log inadvertently got left out. The Log is Whidbey Presbyterian Church's monthly newsletter. What follows is the entire column.)
I’ve been asking the wrong questions.
“What do I want?” is the question our culture promotes. If my needs are met, if my desires are satisfied, if I get what I want—well, according to our self-absorbed Western civilization of the 21st century—then I will be happy . . . and isn’t happiness the real goal in life?
As a Christian, I supposedly know to put others first. However, “What do you want?” yields other-absorption. While I may know my own needs, I can only second-guess yours. And often yours trump mine. But at least “What do you want?” seems a little less self-centered than “What do I want?”
Here is the right question: “What does God want?” Charles Sheldon’s late nineteenth century book, In His Footsteps, asked the question in another way: “What would Jesus do?”
General answers to “What does God want?” are easy enough to recite: love, repentance, and forgiveness, to name a few. The less obvious answers to “What would Jesus do?” concern how to live out those answers in real life. Mother Teresa, in her work with the poor, sick, and downtrodden, was a role model for the less obvious answers. I always wondered how the incredibly devoted Sisters of Charity could work in such deplorable, hopeless conditions without burning out. The answer lies in the question, “What does God want?”
God wants us. He wants to be in relationship and fellowship with each and every one of us! He wants our hearts. He wants us to soak in His Presence and absorb His love, forgiveness, and mercy. When we make deliberate time for God, we begin to want what He wants: for Him to permeate our lives.
I read recently that Mother Teresa had a strict rule for the Sisters of Charity: the nuns worked only one five-hour shift a day. The rest of the day was spent soaking in God’s Presence through prayer, meditation, and worship. Spending time with God allowed them to receive His love and be its overflow into the lives of those they served.
When I carve out daily time for God, my heart gets right with Him. Then, instead of living the self-absorbed life of “What do I want?” or the co-dependent life of “What do you want?” I start to discover the rich life of “What does God want?” Worship comes naturally as I catch glimpses of God’s holiness and sense His eternal love, expressed fully in Jesus Christ and communicated through the Holy Spirit. The grand surprise is that because of Him I can love my neighbor and love myself.
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