Our Reason for Living

I’ve worked at a weekend dining and banquet hall for the last 12 years.  I’ve worked for a lot of weddings and have heard countless speeches given.  But I can probably count on one hand the number of good speeches given.  Whether it’s a bridesmaid, groomsman, or another guest at the wedding, a majority of the speeches I hear tend to be all about the person giving them.  People often tell way too many old personal stories about countless experiences they’ve had with the bride or groom, inside jokes, and other sometimes seemingly irrelevant stories.  Some stories and jokes are fine, but when it starts to feel like the speech-giver is the star of the show, that’s when it gets uncomfortable.  This is indicative of the culture we live in and how we often live our lives.  How often do we put ourselves first and act like our lives are about us?

Our lives are not about us.  The moment we realize this is when everything changes.  Our culture can so easily pressure us into focusing on our own dreams, goals, and plans that we can easily put our identity and purpose into living for ourselves and what we want to accomplish.  But God did not create us for ourselves- He created us to love and serve Him.  This is our reason for living and should be our focus each day.

People often follow Jesus only when it is convenient or when no one is watching.  It’s easy enough to go to mass on Sundays and pray because everyone else there is doing the same thing.  But how often do people walk out the doors of the church and leave their faith there until the next weekend, denying Jesus by their actions and lifestyle and living for themselves? 

No one wants to be seen as different.  In a culture that wants everyone to be the same and think the same way, no one wants to stand out.  It’s so much easier to just go with the flow, to live for ourselves like the world around us pushes us to do.  But we are called to walk in the opposite direction and to live in a way that is counter-cultural.  We must strive to point others to Jesus rather than to ourselves.

It’s so much more convenient to do what we want and to live however we want, and to make our lives about us.  While it is easier and what the world around us tells us to do, we will never be fulfilled or satisfied because what we do will never be enough and we will always be left wanting more.  When we give our lives to Jesus and stop living for ourselves, it is then that we will be truly transformed. 
​
Jesus, thank you for never abandoning us, even when we deny you or choose ourselves.  Help us to surrender our lives to you and to live for you alone.  Give us the desire to love and serve you.  May we strive to do your will and give up our own self-serving plans and desires.  Amen.