The biggest challenge with religion, in my humble opinion, is the myriad interpretations and related assumptions made by individuals as well as organizations (churches and otherwise) which lead people astray.
In this case, to “settle for” a life that we didn’t specifically choose or don’t truly enjoy.
It is certainly possible that I too misinterpret, other than the fact that my opinion is right 🙂
Here we go…
Too often people feel that it is the will of God that they are:
- Impoverished
- Not living where or how they would REALLY like to live
- Not receiving the “better things” in life, because they just don’t deserve it, or ANYTHING for that matter
And, they feel that they must simply be “content.”
This is NOT the will of the God, of my faith!
If humankind remained “content”, we would:
- Still be riding horses as our main form of transportation.
- Still be reading from parchment paper scrolls with much of society remaining uneducated.
- Not have running water or electricity.
- Not have the cures to the diseases that we have today.
- Not have gone to the dentist to have that toothache addressed.
- Not have the Apple Watch. Now, that would be a real bummer 🙂
Or, is all this advancement considered sin. I think not!
So, if this (advancement due to constructive discontent) is “ok” for society as a whole, why is it not ok for each one of us as individuals? Well, I’d suggest that it is MORE than ok!
Yes, humankind (myself being the prime example) has made MANY, MANY, MANY mistakes due to our discontent. I’d suggest that we consider that any of our unfortunate / mistaken outcomes resulted from our either being misinformed or wrongly intended. So, if you could humor me for this post and leave those examples out, maybe we can learn something here 🙂
Consider the following from 1 Timothy 6:17
…hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment
Hope, faith and prayer are certainly important! The more the better! That said, notice that the above verse (or any around it) doesn’t say ANYTHING about “sit and wait.” In fact, the above would suggest to me that we should not live with anything but the best!
An apt verse, to coach us on the way there comes from Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
You see, the Bible recommends ACTION. Nothing comes for free, or simply by being “content”!
I’ll again quote from a story shared by a pioneer in the field of personal development (Earl Nightingale). In his program (Lead the Field) he shares the following parable…
A priest was driving through the country and observes a well maintained (even beautiful) farm, with the apparent owner out front doing some yard work. The priest stops his car, gets out and hails the man, saying: “My, God has blessed you with a fine farm!“
The farmer thought for a moment and responded. “Why yes, I am fortunate and certainly feel blessed. But you should have seen this place when God had it all to himself.“
The point is this…We are all (with rare exception) given (blessed with):
- Our life
- ALL of creation
- The opportunities and challenges (a.k.a. experiences) put before us
- The universal law of cause and effect (a.k.a. sowing and reaping). Sowing (cause), defined as doing something productive, such as: praying, meditating, planning and executing.
The rest is up to us. The unlimited rewards in life are there for us to “earn” which is the “deserved” outcome of our sowing. To be sure, our crops (efforts) may fail from time-to-time. And, the outcome realized may be a bit different than we had anticipated. But, the law of sowing and reaping says that at some point we will bring forth results! This is where faith comes in.
Thinking anything less, given all the information handed down from the ages, is simply delusional.
Now, let’s take things to the next level.
When we do REALLY go for it, how much better a position are we in to help others? Those who REALLY need it! That is, those unfortunate souls who do not have the mental or physical capacity to make it on their own, or live in an impoverished nation.
By fully working with the law of sowing and reaping (a.k.a. cause and effect) we can arrive at a position of strength. We are able to help others with our money and time, while not being dependent on others.
Curious how to make all this happen? Scour this blog and you’ll be off to a great start.
All the best!
Be Brave Not Safe 