"If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ." -Nate Saint
"The things that seem now so dear to us"......stable careers, affluent living, individualism, surrounding ourselves with things (big houses, better cars, boats, clothes, accessories, etc.), entertainment galore, leisure time...so on and so forth. The list could continue, the "time-robbing distractions" are numerous and become instantaneously infinite...for that's what a distraction is, any activity, object, or relationship that gains our affection over what is the main focus of our attention. If I am honest, I too love a good distraction (even a bad distraction...Netflix, Youtube, Facebook, ESPN, sleeping, talking about the same things over and over again without taking action). Distractions allow me an escape the painful realities of life, offering an immediate sense of relief that covers over any feeling that perhaps I am not focused upon the things I should be.
However, as any and every statistic shows...Americans are not happy people. We hate our jobs (if we have them), we can never get enough entertainment, our houses are never big enough, our cars are never fast enough (or perhaps not as fuel efficient as we want), our clothes are always out of style, we never have enough money, there are never enough restaurants to choose from, we don't have time to do what WE want. Given the distorted view of the Gospel in America, it is no wonder that our churches are no less fulfilled...for we too crave distractions. And not just in our homes like everyone else...in our church relationships, services, programs, etc....we focus on distraction.
Why? Why do we have more resources at our fingertips than any other culture in history, yet find ourselves as unhappy, if not more unsettled, than previous generations? Answer: we have no vision. Point blank: we live for nothing. We strive after nothing, things that moth and rust destroy, things that thieves break in and steal. Our cars break down, our jobs fall through, our clothes go out of style, our houses fall apart, our food makes us fat, our shopping drains our resources, our TV shows get cancelled, our individualism turns into loneliness, etc....no matter what temporal "goals" we set our minds to, we are left unsatisfied.
My suggestion is simply a copy of that of Nate Saint: ask God to grant us the vision. The vision to see Jesus Christ as supremely important. May we be granted a focused heart that desires above every other desire to love Jesus Christ. Many of us don't understand the lives of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and the three other missionaries who died at the hand of the Waorani (Auca) tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s; we look at what they did and say "we could not sacrifice that much." But with the vision of God those men had, did they consider themselves to have sacrificed anything? In the sense of giving up something, yes, they gave up the "comfort" or "safety" of a "normal life"....but in actuality, these men died with more fulfillment in their lives than many of us will ever have if we live for 70, 80, or even 90 years. Ask God for the vision, that we may see Christ for who He is and that we may find our satisfaction in Him, for He will never fail to offer fulfillment.
Father in Heaven, we as Your people must repent often, and in this moment there is no difference. We thank You for reaching out to love a people who have so despised Your work. You have remained faithful to Your promises throughout all of time, and we have Your Word as the testament, the witness to Your great patience and mercy. Give us a vision of who You truly are, a vision of who Jesus Christ is, and a vision of who we are in light of those sweet pictures. Grant us purpose, and let us avoid wasting our lives, throwing them away for the continual pursuit of silly distractions that leave us empty-handed. Let us not fall in love with the blessings You bestow upon us in this life, but instead, allow us the grace to love You...to understand that You are the source of all that is good. We are a forgetful people who often live a lukewarm existence. Gives us a vision Lord, of You and Your glory.
--In case you'd like to know more about Nate Saint or the mission I spoke of, check out Elisabeth Elliot's book "Through Gates of Splendor."
