We just bought my in-law’s house. It was something we always whimsically bantered about in passing, but we certainly weren’t looking for it right now. The opportunity just kind of found us. It’s a lovely home, not an expansion in square footage but in quality, extremely well-built in a nice neighborhood with a small lake in the backyard. It’s the kind of house we always envisioned ourselves living in “one day,” so to wake up there each morning now is a real blessing. We’re incredibly grateful.
As I sat by the fireplace early this morning watching the sun begin to peak over the neighboring rooftops through the big bay window, I thought about all those life goals we’ve been reaching for through the decades: degrees, careers, promotions, vacations, raises, retirement account balances, and leveraging up to nicer cars and houses.
I also thought about their ultimate inability to fully satisfy.
By no means am I suggesting these things are bad in and of themselves. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say they’re good things. But as life-defining pursuits, they’re completely devoid of the eternal meaning and purpose we long for and were created for. They may be supplemental blessings in our pursuit of our God-designed purpose, but they cannot become the ultimate purpose themselves. If we think the next step up the ladder is going fulfill the longing inside of us, we are putting far too much weight on that rung and it will break under pressure it was never designed to hold.
There is only one goal that can fully satisfy – a Gospel-empowered life that reflects and proclaims the glory of God in all the earth. If we elevate anything else to that position, it just becomes a cheap counterfeit. Achieving your next goal may be good and may be a blessing, but it won’t fix you. Only Jesus can do that. And only His glory is worthy of our life’s pursuit. That is what we were made for!
New on the Website This Week:
ARTICLE: Workism and the Gospel, a great piece by NCU Student Scott Brown
Accelerating the Great Commission Through the Marketplace,
Erik Cooper | The Stone Table
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Missional Marketplace: Finding Your Everyday Work in God’s Eternal Plan in your choice of print, e-book, or audiobook by clicking here!
