Who am I, and what is my purpose for being here?
This blog is actually inspired by one of my squad mates (shout out to Nick!) who did a video blog about who am I, and who are we? After watching it, I thought a lot about it. It’s something I’ve put a lot of thought into recently when people ask me what I want to do once I’m back from the Race. My answer? I have no idea. I have no idea what my calling is or where God wants me to be. But that’s part of the reason I so badly want to be on the Race, so I can grow stronger in my relationship with God and discover my calling.
Nick said something in his blog that really struck me: whether or not you’re a Christian, you want to leave the world a better place when you leave than when you came into it. This sometimes seems like an impossible task when you’re one person in a world full of billions. What difference can it make to effect one person? The answer: everything, to that one person.
I once heard a story about a young man standing at the ocean. A storm had just washed hundreds of starfish onto the shore, and the young man was bending down and throwing them back into the water, one by one. An old man walking by stopped and said, “son, what are you doing? There’s no use, you’ll never be able to get them all back in the water. You might as well give up.” And the young man looked at him, bent down, and threw another one back into the ocean. He looked at the old man and said, “you may be right, but it made a difference to that one.
If we all had that view in life, to focus on effecting the people we came into contact with every day, I believe our world would be a much more loving place. People have the notion that in order to change the world, there needs to be some kind of drastic revolution. They may be right, but that revolution could start by simply deciding to show love to everyone you come into contact with.
I believe one of the coolest parts to life is that you may never see the fruits of your labor. That person that always made you so angry at work that you chose to show love to instead, five years down the road may find Jesus because of your actions. And because that person found Jesus, maybe his family starts going to church. And because that family starts going to church, that man’s grandchildren will be raised Christian, and before you know it, you’ve saved 10 souls for eternity. And while 10 people may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, I promise you, it will matter to those 10 people.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
God calls us to love our neighbor and love our enemies. He calls us to love Him and love ourselves. Love is all throughout the Bible, but sometimes it seems to be the hardest thing for us to convey. I’m not saying go up to everyone and tell them you love them (that may actually be a little bit creepy…) But, you can demonstrate patience. You can serve them. You can bite your tongue instead of arguing. You can forgive. You can let your brother pick the TV show. You can invite someone to church. You can do the dishes for your roommates without them asking you to. You can love, every day and in any way you know how.
So you ask, who am I, and what is my purpose in life? Let me tell you, you are a child of God, and you were made for love, and you were made in love. If you want to change the world, start by changing your own. Show love.
God bless,
Jenna
