Image by Annoysius via FlickrMany people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.
Rick Warren, A Purpose Driven Life
I suspect that many of us baptized Christians are not aware of the fundamental relationship that we are to have between us and our Creator, spelt out by the statement above in Rick Warren's book. It becomes a sorrowful tragedy when we totally ignore this relationship and think that we can do better than God. This usually leads to all kinds of unnecessary disappointments and sufferings in life which we then ungraciously blame God in return!
I used this pointer from that book when I presented the homily last weekend and from some of the responses I have gotten so far, they seem to indicate that it has made quite a few to sit up and pay attention. My point on the homily was about letting our lives be led or driven by God for his purposes, using precisely the Sunday readings on the call of Isaiah, Paul and Peter, showing how they accepted with great humility their own limitations which will be compensated by God's own power for the mission he calls them to.
Today, we are also called and missioned that way. Depending on what is at stake, we will be equipped accordingly and be given charge with a mission to carry out that befits our disposition and skills. The problem lies in our response to all this. Quite often, the matter of humility - a sense of who I really am in relation to the Other, the Transcendent - is usually left out. This, then, gives rise to religious superiority or that level of arrogance and spiritual pride that one is better than the rest creeps in, breeding jealousy, hate, in-fighting, back stabbing and the lot, among individuals or groups in the church.
The matter of humility raises another fundamental point, that, it is utterly wrong to suppose that we could ever be worthy of what God gives us and what folly to second-guess His freely-given love and blessings. God doesn't reward us by virtue of our personal achievement in doing things for Him. God just gives to us and gives us abundantly, period! That is what grace means - always unmerited and given unconditionally.
We work in a reward-punishment mentality so often that we end up applying this to God, as though he is to follow by our rules too. That is putting God in a box where he can be tamed and control. I don't know about you, but that is not the kind of God I want or choose to believe in!
The matter of humility raises another fundamental point, that, it is utterly wrong to suppose that we could ever be worthy of what God gives us and what folly to second-guess His freely-given love and blessings. God doesn't reward us by virtue of our personal achievement in doing things for Him. God just gives to us and gives us abundantly, period! That is what grace means - always unmerited and given unconditionally.
We work in a reward-punishment mentality so often that we end up applying this to God, as though he is to follow by our rules too. That is putting God in a box where he can be tamed and control. I don't know about you, but that is not the kind of God I want or choose to believe in!
It's not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.The Purpose Driven Life
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4 comments:
no root, no life X3
Hello, Fr Aloy, thank you for the blog entry. It is reminding me to be humble especially when reaching out to the others. Sometimes, I do realize that some of us may not be aware that we are behaving or speaking as if we are more superior than others, leading to arrogance or self righteousness, thus, hindering our own growth through learning from the others. Sometimes, we may even glorify ourselves instead of God in those situations, belittling others subconsciously.
One thing I learn from life so far is God works through my imperfections. Those flaws of mine are the very cracks on a pot for God's living water to pass through them into my soil of heart for the seeds of faith to grow into fruits of Love. If there are no cracks (flaws), God's living water of Love can never get through to me and the Kingdom of God is forever closed or limited to me. My cracks also remind me that just like other people, especially those whom I am impatient with or who have offended, I am also going through purification daily. In fact, all of us are in the same boat just like how the disciples and Jesus were in the same boat when the storm came by. Instead of judging others, I need to remind myself we are all journeying in the same boat together towards holiness so as to allow people to grow with me and God to work through my flaws towards holiness. Anyway, Jesus is also in that boat too. We just need reminders to stay focus on Him instead of on the storms. If I were to be holy, I wouldn't be here anymore and I should be with the Lord by now.
Fr Aloy, once again, thank you for this reminder through this blog entry.
With Love,
God's child
Happy Chinese New Year, Father.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! X3
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