What does it mean to “be ambitious for Christ”? Being ambitious for Christ means being motivated, focused, and dedicated to His work. Being ambitious for Christ will seldom mean that we are singled out for public honor. Being ambitious for Christ means that we serve faithfully and diligently in our wards and branches without complaint and with joyful hearts.Beside the part about not being singled out for public honor, there's not a lot in that description that I feel applies to me. I don't feel motivated or focused. Dedicated, maybe, but only to a certain extent, which may prove how little I know about the meaning of the word "dedicated." I serve faithfully, but not as faithfully or as diligently as I should. And though I rarely complain, it is also rare for me to feel joyful about my service. All in all, I'd say I match about 50% of Elder Yamashita's definition of "Ambitious for Christ."
Altogether, I'm not a highly ambitious person, and I wonder how strongly I should desire to change that. Practically all of the great men from history were ambitious, but I don't want to be great; I want to be good. Does one need to be ambitious to be good? I don't think so. Does one need to be ambitious to do good? Perhaps not, but I can see how it would help. In addition to being good for myself, I also want to do good for others. If being more ambitious would help me accomplish more good, then perhaps I should look into that.
Unfortunately, Elder Yamashita spent most of his talk sharing examples of people who were ambitious for Christ, and he didn't explain much, if anything, about how to become and remain ambitious. Maybe I could learn that elsewhere. In the meantime, perhaps I could fall back on the method of "faking it until you make it." I could merely try (or pretend) to be ambitious until I actually become ambitious and "trying" and "pretending" are no longer required.
Ambition is a personality trait that I don't feel that I possess, and I'm only barely convinced that I even want to possess it. Developing it might be tricky, but I think it might do me some good. A little bit of ambition can make everything else easier because it incorporates motivation, focus, and determination, along with other admirable traits. I think that I would like to become ambitious, especially for Christ. Now I just need to build up enough ambition to take the first steps to becoming ambitious.
1 comment:
Another place we are pretty much alike and it's both a blessing and a curse. We are not usually very competitive in life. In some ways that is good. But we do sometimes need a little more drive. Where can we get it?
We must ask ourselves what do we really want. Do we want the Celestial Kingdom? Or do we want to just coast and settle for 2nd or even 3rd best? What do we need to do to prepare for the level we want? Let's review the basics and focus on them better.
Do we want to be able to support ourselves or do we want to mooch and possibly end up in a cardboard box under a bridge if we are lucky? We don't need to become corporate executives or millionaires, but we do want to be able to provide for ourselves and our family and maybe be able to help others. That takes work, planning, and self-discipline.
Do we care about other people at all? Do we love God's children? If we do and we believe the Gospel is true, we need to find ways to share and to serve.
But we don't have to do all these things the way other people do that look impressive or do not suit our talents. We need to find our own ways and our own goals. Best if we check in with The Boss, of course. Get His OK. input, and help.
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