And What Are You Doing Because Of It?

I love this. I love this so much, I can't even tell you. It's one thing to be a Christian in the sense that you believe in Christ, but it's so much more to be Christian in that you try to follow and become like, or at least adequately thank, Jesus Christ. Being Christian isn't just about believing something - it's about acting on those beliefs and letting them make you a better person. You (probably) believe in Christ, and that's a good thing, but what are you doing because of it?

I recently overheard someone laughingly say that the universe was trying to kill them but that they were being preserved - probably for some great purpose. It sounded like she wasn't taking it very seriously, but how could she not? If I thought that the universe was trying to kill me, but that I was being preserved so that I could fulfill some purpose, I would at least want to know what that purpose was!

The funny thing is that God has a purpose for each of us, and that Satan would be willing to kill us, if we ever gave him the chance, if he had to, to prevent us from fulfilling that purpose. I know that God has a plan for me, so what am I doing because of it? Am I actively trying to find out what that purpose is and how I can fulfill it? Am I even trying to follow God's specific plan for me, beyond generally trying to be righteous? Am I trying to find out what my calling is, and follow it?

Using that word, "calling," specifically makes it sound like I'm leading up to our callings in the church. Almost every member has one, and they're usually inspired by God. It may not be what God wants you to make your entire life about (callings are usually only for a few years), but it's certainly part of what God wants you to do right now. I was called to be a leader of the 11-Year-Old Scouts in our Ward. God wants me to be a mentor and a teacher to them, to lead them and inspire them, and possibly to at least try to instill in their hearts the love of chivalry that I have in mine. They are, after all, the Valiant Knights - a name which they voted for themselves. I doubt that they'd be opposed to learning how to act like knights, which not-coincidentally matches up with how to be a good citizen, Boy Scout, and man of God perfectly. My calling is to lead those boys, so, again, what am I doing about it?

Admittedly, not much. I help lead during the meetings and outings, and I help plan and prepare for them, but I know that I'm not doing as much as I could do. I could better learn what the boys need to do to earn their rank advancements as well as to advance personally. I could learn what they need to know and then try to teach them, rather than trying to learn with them. I could be doing better at fulfilling my calling, at fulfilling God's purpose for my life right now. And I know that that should feel more important to me than I currently feel that it is. Right now, I see it as part of my responsibility, one of the many things I have to do, whereas I should see it as part of my purpose, one of the many things I was meant to do. The difference may be subtle, if it even exists outside of my own head, but I feel that it's an important one. It changes the task from being my duty as a member of society to being my duty as a follower of God. I owe God much more allegiance than I owe society.

I owe God my whole heart. And not just my heart, but also my hands. If I am to truly love the Lord my God with all my heart, and all my soul, and all my mind, and all my strength (as Mark 12:30 says we must), then I need to serve God and not merely believe in Him. I need to thank Him for al that He had done for me, not just by giving thanks, but also by doing what He has asked me to do. God has given each of us commandments, callings, and a purpose. So what are we doing because of it?

Let us strive to serve God more faithfully - to find out what our callings are and fulfill them. Even if you don't believe in God, your life should have a purpose. Find yours and fulfill it. Do what you were meant to do, and become what you were born to be. Whether you know it or believe it or not, your life already has a purpose. What will you do because of it?