A cause worth the cost

The more time passes, the more I realize that there was a lot I didn’t see growing up. I’m not talking about people talking about me behind my back (I made them say it to my face,) I mean how much of what was going on that I didn’t understand. I think the thing that has changed everything is examining the nature of calling. We could go around and around about whether or not an entire family is called, or just the parents, but that’s not the point of today’s post. 

What I want to focus on right now is how much suffering one can do for a cause. Or, at least, how much suffering it looks like they are doing for a cause. Growing up, I had my eyes fixed on the cost. Being in Ukraine wasn’t easy and most days I resented the whole thing. I saw things that sucked all around me and people doing work I couldn’t imagine doing myself. I didn’t understand the joy with which they did it (some of them, I’m convinced, had none. I suspect they might have been looneys!) 

Over the years, this gave me a “clear” truth about God, and about virtue: to be good is to suffer. God likes it when you break your back, put yourself through hardship, and have the most miserable time you can possibly have. When I came back to church, that’s how I felt I had to be: always trying to be busier than I was yesterday. But the truth is if you work too hard, you burn out, even if you have a good cause that you are passionate about. You can’t push yourself to your limits forever. 

Lately, God has been teaching me how to chill out. My theme for this year is “when all is still.” I still get to go ham on this writing project, but otherwise I’m trying to learn everything I can from doing one of the most difficult things for me: sit still. God doesn’t need your endless works. You don’t get to heaven by doing a bunch of big things for Him. That’s not how it goes. No, the works come after acceptance. God says “you’ve made it! Now come celebrate by grabbing as many friends as you can along the way!” It’s this joy that drives people to go out and do crazy things like live in other countries and help other people. That’s what I was missing growing up. 

But that’s not to say I blame myself for how I was growing up. I did my best, despite feeling pinned to the floor most days. But as I commit to this writing project, I understand the joy that outweighs suffering. When God calls you to do something, He gives you not only the strength for the journey, but the joy for it as well. Don’t get me wrong, not everything will be a cake walk, but it will be doable. The problem is we try to go off other people’s lives. “I could never do what you do!” We often say. And we are correct! We couldn’t! We weren’t called to do what they do! I wasn’t called to be a doctor, I was called to write. To someone else, it might seem impossible to do what I do. But to me, this is life-bringing, not life-taking. Sure, there are days when I have to push myself a little, but it only takes me a little push before the joy sets back in. 

What I’m trying to say is that following God isn’t a living hell all day every day. You might have your tough days, but God funds your calling with passion in the long run. Sometimes you have to break through some barriers to get to it, but God wants sons and daughters, not slaves and servants. I can’t claim to understand all of how God works, but I know He loves us and doesn’t like making us suffer for the heck of it. Of that much, I am absolutely certain. 

For today’s action step, I want you to crank the volume up to 11. Do you have something you like doing? Something that never gets old, no matter how much time you spend doing it? Are you a musician, a fellow writer, athlete or computer wizard? If you don’t have a hobby like that- something that cools your mind off when life gets rough, go find one. Go hiking, go to the gym, try something you haven’t done before and look for that inner peace when you do it. Once you find that thing, it’s time to turn it up a notch! Set a daily goal. Just commit to being in your hobby every day but one (everyone needs one “reset” day, as hard as that can be sometimes.) Maybe you want to spend 30 minutes learning guitar. Maybe you want to do a pull up a day. Whatever it is, go hard! (without breaking yourself, of course.) See where your life takes you as you embark on your journey. 

Until next time

May Peace be with you