As all 3 of you who actually read my blog know, I’ve started keeping an idea notebook again.
It’s a pretty excellent exercise, but I’m just now starting to realize that just because something I’ve written down turns out to have already been done doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t (or can’t) simply do it better.
I’m reading through an interesting little business book that I’ll post more about later this week, but the very first chapter is about knowing what you want, and wanting it badly enough that you make it happen.
It’s a business concept that mirrors our Christian walk in a big way. When we truly and deeply want God, we can’t help but find Him. When we truly want anything, we make the sacrifices and put forth the effort that desire requires.
For me, this is a difficult concept. The idea of a servant heart precludes any kind of want with the question how can I serve? And in general, it’s servanthood that is rewarding to me. But I’m starting to see a bigger picture: My serving nature has always been geared towards how I, personally, can serve others. There’s a larger world of servanthood out there, and I can better serve what I want to do by seeing the bigger picture. If I’m always dedicated to the small servanthood, I will never be able to serve beyond where I am. I have more of a calling than that.
The idea of want is also rife with connotations of greed and self-centeredness. We’re taught that Jesus laid down His life, despite His want to find another way, in order to save humanity. I think we’re in for a bit of revelation on this subject. Jesus wanted to avoid the pain of torture and crucifixion (naturally, as would any of us), but He wanted to save mankind more. The Garden of Gethsemane wasn’t just Jesus trying to get out of what He had come to Earth to do. Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane was about Him making sure He had His priorities straight. He didn’t need to save humanity. He could have wiped us out and started over. Easy. Instead, He chose the hard road, because He wanted to.
Jesus wanted to make the world a better place. I want to make the world a better place. And I can, and will.
