What Does the World Need?

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

- Howard Thurman

This is such a great quote. I wonder what it would look like if we felt that freedom. Too often we operate out of the ought to rather than the want to. Sadly, this translates over into Christianity, too, only with a deceptively misleading motivation of "surrender" and "denying ourselves". Let me explain what I mean. I know Jesus did say, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." I think we need to look into that more, because a mere surface-level evaluation of that does not do it justice and is slightly illogical. We simply can't "deny" ourselves the basically necessities of life. If we deny ourselves food and water, we will die. And if we're dead, we can't take up our cross and follow Jesus. So to be wise, faithful students of God's word, we have dig deeper and ask what that phrase really means and/or how to live it. I don't know Greek or anything like that, so I can only make observations. I don't think it means that what we want is bad and evil and needs to be denied. It may seem trivial, but I think it is very important to note that distinction. Otherwise, as Christians, we can read Thurman's quote and dismiss it as a neat pearl of worldly wisdom or an unreasonable ideal. And we do that, we imprison ourselves in a castle of duty and obligation, sucking the life out of the gospel and making our testimony impotent. There is no life or joy or hope in that place. So we need to find the balance of willing surrender—acknowledging our limitations and operating out of trust in our King—and stepping into the fullness of the person God has created us to be.

He delights in us and He created us uniquely for His purposes, to be productive and creative and loving. We are quirky and awkward and beautiful and we make the heart of God smile. That is good news to a culture so bent on false identities, insecurity, posturing and peer validation. God loves and accepts and likes us as we are. So as we let that reality sink in, and receive that attentive, life-giving love from God, our light will shine and the people around us will see a freedom that is foreign to them.

So what makes you come alive? The desires you have were given by God. You and I have the potential to contribute to this world and His kingdom in a unique way. We have a role in this Story that no one else can fill. I don't know all the people you know, so I'll never be able to affect them the way you can. And with God's Spirit making His home in our hearts, with Christ living His life in us, we can walk with Him in freedom and and our lives will be full of true life, not duty or obligation.

What makes you come alive?