What do you do for a living?

When we first meet a person often one of the first questions we ask is what do you for work? It is a reflection of our culture that in order to know a person we need to know what occupies most of their waking hours. Often it can relate to a person’s paid employment and there can be a reticence to give an answer which may diminish us in the eyes of the other. When we find out what a person does for a living we can also start to make assumptions about the person without really becoming familiar with who they are.

The same dilemma is present when people encounter the person of Jesus. They want to believe in what he does rather than in who he is. They seek to discover the works of Jesus rather than the person of Jesus. They miss the substance of who he is and what he offers. Rather than looking for the quick fix and the instant gratification of people’s hunger he offers a relationship which will satisfy their whole life. At the heart of our lives is an offer of discovering a person who promises eternal life and who sees our lives as having eternal value. We are not just called to know about him but to believe in him and live in relationship with him.

How can I share my life with so many?

There is often a feeling in our lives that we only give of ourselves when we receive positive feedback. There can be a tendency to seek a pay off or reward for all our efforts. We can see our lives as limited to what is immediately in front of us and so we tend to dish up to people from what we believe we have available to hand. This is not only present in how we distribute our own money but also how we distribute our own time. We become used to scheduling and prioritizing. We start to indicate what we consider important by the use of limited time. We live in a world which sees our resources as scarce and limited. When we adopt this stance in lives we can also apply it to our own lives, so many things to do, so little time to do them in.
This stress of modern day living can cause us to not see how each day is precious and open to the grace of God's abundant love  and provision. This is not a scarce resource or a limited commodity but rather a way of life. It does not see our life as dissected into discreet moments in which we share our life with others. It seeks to give the whole person in whatever we do. This allows our lives to have value in whatever situation we find ourselves. It is a way of being present to the world as ourselves. It does not see our life as limited but rather as gift. It flows naturally from a relationship with God and our relationship with others. Each day we are called to be present to a God who gives thanks for our lives.