The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.
– Mother Teresa
For most of us, the easiest way to create a happy life is by simply living according to how we want everything to be. There are way too many obstacles life and we simply want to choose the shortcuts. I have a couple of friends who are nearing their 30s and I can feel the pressure they have. They have this constant fear of the future, and so they choose the temporary happiness to get away with the so-called boredom of everyday life. They feel like they are in a cycle without purpose. They are working everyday, but with no sense of drive; nothing to look forward to. And yet they feel entitled.
Plotting out our priorities is probably the most difficult thing to do, most especially if we know by heart that our priorities are not in accordance with the Lord. I have my fair share of stories to tell about how my priorities have changed, and probably it’s about time to share this list to my dear friends.
Ephesians 5: 15-16 says, “Therefore be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Looking into the term wise from this verse, we can agree how Psalm 111: 10 sets the tone of the aforesaid verse, “To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. He will receive praise forever.”
Here’s a list of how to make the most of your time and see from this perspective how a life according to the Will of God can change your ideas about work, love and priorities.
1. Remember your mission
Let every decision stem from your mission. Let your mission be Christ. Do not fall to the pits of deceptions and lies in this ever-changing world. If you choose Him, you will have a backbone and a goal.
I listen to stories of my friends saying that sometimes they wake up every morning feeling demotivated and deprived. I realize that it’s because of not choosing to plan and stick to their mission centered on the Lord.
It should be our mission to also touch the lives of our friends and family who doesn’t know the Lord. I know that I have a lot of gaps to fill in order to fully execute my mission with Christ, but I also believe that by starting now, my small steps will eventually lead me to my destination. I know that my friends and family’s faith is my mission in this world.
Here’s a verse, which can guide us through our mission.
Matthew 5: 13
You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.
Salt is a kind of spice, which gives flavor to our food. We are like salt, and in order to be maximized as a flavor to the walk of Christ, we should know our mission and purpose.
2. Be excellent
Having a sense of purpose and mission will get us through being excellent. As long as we know where we are going, we could accomplish any task at hand.
Scholars say that we, the generation who was born in the 1980s and above are the millennials. I must admit that I am definitely a millennial. Somehow, the fact that it defines me makes me feel outlined by society as someone ungrateful, easily bored and less energetic with the greater things. We’d rather want it the easier way. But looking deeply into it, I have my Lord to praise and a society to change. I don’t want to be defined in terms of what my generation tells me to be. I want to think that the concept of the millennial generation is a deception to distract me.
I believe that in order to be excellent, we have to be focused.
I love what Proverbs 22: 29 is saying about excellence, “Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will take his position before kings; he will not take his position before obscure people.”
And also 1 Timothy 4: 12, “Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.”
3. Communicate right
Communication is definitely a very essential tool in our life. We need dialogue in order to understand people, meanings and events. Conflicts arise because of miscommunication, and so we need to be careful with the messages we’re sending, whether interpersonal or online.
We are more what people see than what we think. How we act reflects how people see us. Because of this, our instinct tells us that it is by far more rewarding to do good deeds through communication.
I have a very quick trivia for all of you: Communication is 90% non-verbal and 10% verbal.
Let’s look into James 3: 4-5, “Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze.”
4. Choose integrity
Regardless of the generational gap we basically have, choices are very much the same with all of us when it comes to the Lord. We take for granted the source of our purpose. It’s sad because God wants us to call Him in prayer and in obstacles, but we choose otherwise. We have way too many distractions and probably, what we really need is a quiet time for the Lord.
In order to choose integrity, we should choose what would be pleasing to the Lord. We should never do things that will disappoint Him. The path to Christ may be difficult to travel, but it will definitely be worth it.
5. Be aware
Watch what you search on the Internet. Sinful content are everywhere online, and we have to be alert and observant. The sad part is, while exchange of different content takes place, most people still choose to hide their identity, causing more trouble to the deteriorating morals of society.
While being aware of what we see online, we should also be responsible and transparent with our online identity and posts.
Philippians 4: 8 tells us that, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”
We should always choose Christ, and we should choose to promote Him and His works.
2 Timothy 4: 3 says, “For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.”
People may want to hear what they want to hear, but as we read this article, we should start telling them about Christ and how wonderful He is, and that He will be the only way for our salvation. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we begin to choose Christ?
