{"id":157,"date":"2011-10-25T22:10:31","date_gmt":"2011-10-25T22:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/prayables\/?p=157"},"modified":"2011-10-25T22:10:31","modified_gmt":"2011-10-25T22:10:31","slug":"greater-purpose-of-self-indulgence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2011\/10\/greater-purpose-of-self-indulgence.html","title":{"rendered":"Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s so easy to assume God is a sloppy manager, standing silently with His arms crossed and waiting for confused workers to guess His priorities.\u00a0 What seems more likely\u2014especially when I think about it\u2014is the idea that God sends a load of signals to direct us in the right direction, not the least of which includes using our skills and passions.<\/p>\n

God knows who He\u2019s working with.\u00a0 We are not designed to read His mind, and certainly we aren\u2019t supposed to ardently pursue work\u2014no matter how noble\u2014that doesn\u2019t interest us.<\/p>\n

The fact is, in this diverse world, it really does take all kinds.\u00a0 Yes, we need the Mother Teresa types, but we need scientists and architects and bankers, too.\u00a0 This is why I find myself coming to God in prayer seeking not to unbury some mystical will, but asking for help focusing in on the desires and impulses of my heart.\u00a0 I believe there\u2019s a reason I love to write, and the first step to realizing my \u201cnoble purpose\u201d is to trust the passion that God put in my heart.<\/p>\n

A few year ago, while working with a touring theatre company, I had a debate with a touring partner of mine regarding the nobility of acting.\u00a0 He argued that there was nothing noble about his career choice.\u00a0 I begged to differ.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheatre is all about empathy,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cTheatre gets people to sit down and be quiet long enough to imagine what it would be like to be in someone else\u2019s shoes.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen and read so many plays that have helped me understand that people I thought were completely different from me actually go through a lot of the same experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

My coworker couldn\u2019t agree.\u00a0 \u201cI get that,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I don\u2019t act for that reason.\u00a0 I act because I like it.\u00a0 And if it\u2019s bringing me pleasure, is it really all that noble?\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think his perspective is all that uncommon. I find myself caught in similar dilemmas.\u00a0 As I map my future\u2014whether it\u2019s the next ten years or next five minutes\u2014I still sometimes worry when my plans are filled with things that I enjoy, rather than the martyrdom that I suspect God is looking for.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not clear on what God\u2019s will for my life is.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know where He wants me to be, and what grand sacrifices He wants me to be making. I do know; God is here for me when I call, and He is here calling me ever-closer to the magnificent plan in store for my now and for my future.<\/p>\n

-Abigail Wurdeman<\/p>\n

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”<\/em>
\nPhilippians 4:4<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s so easy to assume God is a sloppy manager, standing silently with His arms crossed and waiting for confused workers to guess His priorities.\u00a0 What seems more likely\u2014especially when I think about it\u2014is the idea that God sends a load of signals to direct us in the right direction, not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[66,10,64,53,65],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspirational-stories","tag-career-choice","tag-faith","tag-philippians","tag-prayer","tag-purpose"],"yoast_head":"\nGreater Purpose of Self-Indulgence - Prayables<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2011\/10\/greater-purpose-of-self-indulgence.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence - 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