Is there a central focus in your life? Do you wake up every morning energized and motivated by a pursuit so large, that you can give your entire life to it? Or are you wandering through life, getting by, while each day blends into the next without distinction?
I was a young adolescent when the original “Star Wars” movie was released. As an avid sci-fi fan, it ignited my imagination and I saw it many times. But it wasn’t just the fantastic alien creatures and special effects that attracted me. I was captivated by the epic tale of a young man similar to me, Luke Skywalker, who was completely dedicated to his pursuit of the Jedi arts to meld with the Force and avenge his father’s and uncle’s deaths.
His pursuit required him to set himself apart for a period of rigorous training under the watchful tutoring of the Yoda. He had to learn to hear and receive instruction and discipline himself to obey it. I was leaving childhood and invading the borders of adulthood, and the idea of having a life defined by a grand and highly focused pursuit was very appealing.
As a culture, we admire people who are motivated to focus their entire lives to attain excellence in a single pursuit. World-class athletes are one powerful example of this. Whether in team or individual sports, we tune in regularly to watch them perform in play-offs, tournaments, world championships and Olympic events. And we celebrate their achievements with star class salaries, fame and lucrative endorsements. They encourage our hope by demonstrating that, if we pursue something with enough intensity and discipline, anything is possible.
We’ve all read and seen sports reports about the long hours of intense training over many years that go into the making of an athletic or team champion. Yet even with all the accolades, their achievements and time in the spotlight are only momentary. Tomorrow always appears with new contests and contenders.
For example, take Michael Phelps. A couple summers ago you couldn’t pick up a paper or hear a sport’s cast without some mention of his name. He was an athlete of truly Olympic proportions, winning 8 gold medals in one Olympics, more than any athlete in history. We eagerly devoured every detail of his life, as he appeared on one talk show after another. It’s now just two years later, and when is the last time you heard of Michael Phelps? Despite all his disciplined, focused pursuit and celebrated success, he has slipped into virtual obscurity.
No matter how significant our human pursuits are; they are “holey”. They fade and lose relevance with time. They may dominate a season in our life, but they are not powerful enough to motivate our whole lifetime.
God invites us to a pursuit that is big enough to fill our life forever: His holiness. Holiness is being dedicated and set apart to pursue intimacy with God. It is an invitation to share in the life of God Himself, by hearing, receiving, loving and obeying Him, and it will completely transform your thinking, being and doing as you live your life.
Choose to have a holy pursuit. The apostle Paul reminds us: “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it (pursue holiness) to obtain an eternal prize. So we run with purpose in every step.” (I Corinthians 9: 25)
Please join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM as we continue this discussion. My sermon, “The Beauty of Holiness” is Part 2 in our series on “The Reformer’s Pledge.”
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