Life is not a passive journey. And we won’t discover the life we were created to live by just sitting on the couch and waiting for things to happen to us. We must actively do the work to build the life we’ve been called to live.
For example, building a successful professional career takes time, effort, and intentionality. We can’t waste the time and resources given to us and just expect to have a satisfying career handed to us. We must submit to the education, training, and practice needed to achieve the professional accomplishments we desire.
And this is true throughout our life and relationships. We must regularly put in the time and effort needed to grow in each dimension of our life.
For instance, in addition to figuring out our professional calling and how we earn a living, we must also invest in our social networks. We must intentionally build the community of “our people” to have a life in which we’re supported by our trusted others. And this calls for us to fight for our friendships and to spend time together even when life gets busy.
Effort must also be given to our home life, marriages, and sexuality, each in their own right. This might be date nights, workshops, family vacations, counseling, or even just reading a book or two. Whatever it looks like, it’s providing intentional efforts to grow in these areas and not assuming the good life will just happen.
Likewise, we must invest time in our relationship with God as well. Prayer, reading Scripture, and time with other believers are all good places to start. But stillness, silence, and solitude might also be good practices to incorporate.
In the end, the good life is not something that just happens to us. We must punch the clock and put in the time necessary to grow in each area of our life and relationships. And this is simply doing the work of life.
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
