I have been dedicating almost 90% of my time at work, then when most of the big thing ends this week, I started to wonder if my dedication has been exhausting my nourishment as a person as well.
Well - to be exact, I spend so much time thinking of serving best in my work place and putting virtues at work - but realizing that at the end of the day, all is vanity. When I come back home, I stared blankly at the ceiling tiles, and a gush of guilt came to me: was that all?
Contemporary terms yet striking throughout centuries: Was That All?
I looked into my life, and wondered what is the meaningful most in life. It is good that I could find God in my working place, and seeking after the peace of good conscience forbearing all the work responsibilities. However, dedicating to work as if it is the only thing in my life - was that all?
Random reflections of the Bible and 20th centuries literature seems to caught me off-guard: apparently that seems to be it.
Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Micah - they seem to live solely to prophesy (depending on the kingdom and the state of their allegiance to Yahweh, the God of Israel). Some forbidden for marriages, some denied friendships with peers, some have to suffer death sawn in half. I start to wonder - how is like following God in good and bad times?
Was That All?
Something to think about. Though to be fairly honest (though I remain slightly skeptic, being a fallen human in the image of Invisibile God), I have a little hope in thinking that really, that was it. :)
5 comments:
Serving God with the whole heart will also make the mundane important. "Whatever He tells you, do it" those were the words of Mary to the servants at the wedding in Cana. Good advice for all of us. Some things seem so easy to do that we wonder why we weren't given more challenging tasks, but only God knows the final outcomes and the reason for our assignments.
@quest4god@revelife - Hey. Thanks for the reply. I agree to your sentiments. Times of mundane and routinal job tends to give that notion that we are not too sure if this is part of who we were meant to be. I am at a rather different circumstances whereby I face very different situations and all types of scenarios are constantly changing. Therefore I put up a short reflection because of the ever-changing environment and my eventual exhausting longing for constancy despite the changing situation. Even if so - I am still longing to ask God (in my quiet times which I finally manage today to spend longer than an hour to reflect with God) - was that all?I sense in myself a diminishing dissenting voice saying, "No that shouldn't be it - how about my life with a future partner? how about my parents? how about my buddies in church? how about my passion in music?" and God gently reminds me in illustrations about the Preacher's reflection in Ecclesiastes - There's a season in everything. I believe at this period of time - the exhaustion and the difficult circumstances I am facing are meant to challenge my longing for a constancy in simple lifestyle and complacency (an unusual traits that I secretly desire). God brought to light my sinfulness (now getting blaring at times through the stark comparisons between light and darkness). So thus the reflection above is all-too-brief summary of the recent revelation that I have had. Thanks for your dropping by the way. How have you been? I hope you too have received mercies enduring each day through living in His words and grace.Ren
@renjinko - Thanks for asking...I feel tremendously blessed even though there is so much that I pray for regarding my family that doesn't seem to be happening yet. God does continually challenge us to stay the course and be patient. There is a rest in God even while we are very busy; and there is joy in Him even when times are hard. Finding those two things happens as we experience His presence with us.
We're always tempted to look for some sense of purpose/accomplishment/satisfaction/achievement/fulfillment/reward in our work, but that won't always happen – and then we feel empty and lacking – but that's a good thing b/c it drives us to seek after God and to know Him as our portion, our joy and our all in all.Lamentations 316 He has made my teeth grind on gravel,and made me cower in ashes;17 my soul is bereft of peace;I have forgotten what happiness is;18 so I say, “My endurance has perished;so has my hope from the LORD.”19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,the wormwood and the gall!20 My soul continually remembers itand is bowed down within me.21 But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.”25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. Psalm 13.Deut. 33:25 ~~~ as our days, so shall our strength be.
@naphtali_deer - Definitely agree on that. We all fall short in his glory at many times. Thinking of our own pursuit without considering what's more important in life than mere running after the unknowns. Thanks for dropping by... Really appreciate it.@quest4god@revelife - Definitely. It is tough to live ahead of each day if we have reminiscence of the past that lurks once in a while on our broken life. I don't want put a blind optimism on such difficult living, but definitely God has enabled us through the tough time to see Him as the light onto our path.
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