It’s clear we should be doing something. And it’s easy to assume we’re just lazy when our life is not living up to its potential. But often it’s a lack of direction that leaves us feeling drained. Honoring the deep desires of our heart allows us to align our daily life with God’s calling – empowering us to clear the fog and live worthy of our calling.
On the outside, many around us seem to have their life together – successful by any reasonable human standard. Or perhaps their shortcomings are evident, which we want to avoid. Either way, it’s tempting to believe more discipline is what we need to be successful and avoid failure, and that it’s our laziness that holds us back from being more consistent in our efforts.
To be fair, sometimes laziness is the right charge. We know what to do but we wait on life to happen to us. Or, like Jonah, we run in the opposite direction of God’s clear call for our life because we don’t want to face the hard work or messiness it requires.
But it seems such passivity or active disobedience is not the right charge for most of us. We lack clarity and vision – finding ourselves doing what everyone expects while being disconnected from our true heart. All our hard work is barking up the wrong tree.
For instance we might have a solid job, our bills are paid, and our family is physically secure and comfortable, but we still feel empty inside. Or perhaps we’re very disciplined in working out, listening to self-improvement podcasts and books, or keeping our quiet times, but there’s little joy as we simply maintain these efforts. Or maybe we’re very helpful in showing up for others – at home, work, church, and the like, but we still feel underappreciated and lonely and can’t quite explain why.
Whatever it looks like, it’s clear we’re not lazy. We’re willing to do the work. But what keeps us lost and depleted is that we’ve never named what we truly desire or taken the risk of stepping toward it in faith.
What would you move toward if you trusted your heart was good and your desires mattered?
