In Pursuit of Goodness

Hello again... It's been awhile. Sorry there haven't been any blog posts in so long. I am back with some new reflections and I hope that you find my thoughts fruitful.

Last week I was feeling rather frustrated with some financial dilemmas. Plus, I'm trying to find a new place to live. Add that to a long day of work and you get one exhausted person. I needed to burn off a little steam, so I decided to do a free write. I quickly jotted a few things down on paper and this is what I wrote:

God gave us the animals and the plants. He did not give us houses or tools or even clothes. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the apples we have sought to live outside of our natural means. We wear unnecessary outfits and live in climates we naturally shouldn't live in. We eat more than we need to and create things we don't even need. We consume and we waste things in a search for personal gain. But who pays the price? It is the weak, those who are unable to stop the self indulgent. People who are meant to be our brothers and sisters are homeless. They live on streets with barely enough to survive. The natural world, which can nurture us and which we are meant to care for, withers away. Sometimes to the point of extinction. It is said that we came into the world with nothing and we shall leave it with nothing. Perhaps trying to have nothing between those two moments will help us to attain everything we ever wanted.

The moment of reflection calmed me down. I was able to relax a little bit but I still felt some stress. The next day as I was listening to the daily readings from 1 Timothy, I was hooked on verses 7-12. 

"For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and a trap and into foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6: 7-12 

I heard my thoughts echoed in the words of Paul and I could feel the Holy Spirit encouraging me. With all the weight of what I was dealing with that week it was exactly what I needed to hear. Words telling me to free myself of worldly concerns. God's words encouraging me to pursue goodness. Some aspects of my life are unavoidable, such as paying bills or apartment application fees. However, if I am pursuing the six things that Paul calls us to focus on, then perhaps the stress and despair of all those things will fade away.

First off, who doesn't want to be a person filled with love and gentleness? I believe they are traits that can fill the world with only good things. Pursuing love and gentleness encourages us to care for all the people and living things of this world. Especially those unable to care for themselves. Where does righteousness and patience come into play? Well, I think the pursuit of patience and righteousness can help us to avoid being wasteful. Patience and righteousness encourages us to discern what we truly need. With patience we can hold off on purchasing that new jacket or those new shoes until they are actually needed. Necessity is a better deciding factor than desire. I believe that, with all of these things, we must ensure that we pursue faith and devotion. Without faith and devotion we will lose the energy to maintain love, gentleness, patience and righteousness. Through faith and devotion we can open ourselves to God's encouragement in our pursuit for goodness.

The pursuit of righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness are not always things that this world encourages us to spend our time on. It is easy to become obsessed with success and money but they often lead to moments like the one I had last week. Moments of frustration and feelings of failure. Pursuing the six things Paul writes of won't lead to any physical or financial reward. You may never see the fruits of your labors in these pursuits. The rest of society will try to tell you that you are in the pursuit of nothing. But I guarantee you that you will live a life filled with joy and goodness. Be encouraged my friends pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love and gentleness.

Be The Light