Passion. Ability. Reality. Joy.

When I was in the ATL this past week on business, I had a lot of time to think while I was driving.  Of course, driving there is either 85mph or 8mph, with very little in between.  But I digress…

I also had a listen to Los Lonely Boys on the radio, and after years heard their song “How Far is Heaven”.  It got me thinking.

One of the things I thought about was how sometimes we make choices in life that make it hard for us to make the right choices later on in life.  Specifically when it comes to career choices.  We decide to go down a particular path, and then we hit a certain point and wonder if we made the right choice way back when. And if the thought goes deeper still, we might even find ourselves longing to really discover what truly motivates us and then figure out a way, perhaps, to make a living at it.

But depending on how much you have invested in, and received return on, that initial choice, it’s not always so easy to be as objective with ourselves about whether we should do anything about this newfound desire for meaning and fulfillment.

I suppose that’s why they sometimes call this a mid-life crisis.

And it truly is hard, because if you’ve been at all successful in your career and have made strides financially and organizationally, thinking about leaving all that behind is scary.  And sometimes unwise.  Especially if you have others that are depending on the lifestyle you’ve created for them.

As I was pondering this, the story from the book of St. Luke about the rich young ruler came to mind.  See, there was this guy who became very enamored by the teachings of Jesus and decided that he wanted to follow his teachings and inherit eternal life.  Ultimately, following Jesus.  Now, I imagine doing so would be a complete shift for him.  After all, he was a ruler, so he had authority and power.  Following Jesus meant giving that up – instead of leading, he would now be following.

But this guy was earnestly seeking to change his pursuit, so Jesus tells him basically that he should obey the commandments that was laid out by God and delivered by Moses.  The ruler then replied that he had actually done all of those things.  Ever since he was a boy.  But Jesus knew that if this ruler was going to truly change his life, his perspective, his pursuit, he’d really have to give everything up.  Everything.  And while he was willing to give up his rulership, there was one more thing Jesus said he needed to do if he was going to transform into this new person.

He had to give up his wealth.  Jesus asked him to sell all that he had and essentially start over.

Well, the story ends with the rich young ruler becoming a very sad, rich young ruler.  Because he did have a lot of wealth.  Luke doesn’t tell us how he got wealthy, but let’s assume he worked hard for it.  And he had a lifestyle he had built around it.  Probably had family dependent on him for it.  So to give all that up – even if it meant pursuing his true calling from his heart – was too much for him to bear.

Now, I’ve heard plenty a sermon on this passage, and typically it’s about how we can’t serve God wholly if we serve other things more – like money, sex, or anything else.  And it’s true.  But what if you don’t believe in God or Jesus?  Can you take anything from this passage.

Well, I think so.

See, even if you don’t believe in the heaven that the Bible talks about, you probably do have some sense of peace and nirvana that you are looking for.  Your “heaven”.  Whether it’s job satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, or financial satisfaction, or something else, there is something that you are likely striving to attain.  But if pursuing your heaven is costly for you, the decision will undoubtedly be harder, and you might even abandon your pursuit altogether.  Why?  Well, the thing about heavens, whether celestial or earthly, is that they are mostly unknown, and require a leap of faith to believe they exist.  As opposed to what you already know – your job, your relationships, your possessions.  Those are all things that are somewhat certain.  Heavens are not.

So maybe you know what your passion is and can see a path to pursue it.  But it might involve a huge income drop.  Or going back to school.  Or moving.  Or giving up authority and status.  Those riches can easily get in the way of you pursuing your place of peace, serenity, and rest.  Maybe you can see a relationship that will completely change your life.  But it might involve you losing your freedom to do whatever you want.  Maybe you’ll have to give up some friends or vices.  And depending on how you calculate it, you could end up just discarding the best thing that could ever happen to you.  Because of your riches.

Don’t be like the rich young ruler who saw what he wanted and needed to do but let his possessions prevent him from doing it.  Instead, be willing to sacrifice it all for that pursuit that is worth it.  Life is way too short to do otherwise.

Luke ends the story with Jesus saying “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God”.

Indeed.