February 22, 2015
First Sunday in Lent
Rev. Amy Welin:
The Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus as a driven man. Throughout the three years covered in the gospel’s 16 short chapters, Jesus is on the move from one place to the next, proclaiming the coming of the Reign of God with a real sense of urgency. His ministry has an immediacy that no other gospel captures. Jesus knows what God needs done, and there is no time to waste.
Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, writes “everyone’s life is driven by something. Right now you may be driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. You may be driven by a painful memory, a haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. There are hundreds of circumstances, values, and emotions that can drive your life.”
What drives you?
I find that in my personal life, I am driven by the sacred nature of relationships. I experience my family and friends as a gift from God, and I cherish them and work hard to sustain them. Professionally, I am driven by my urgent sense of the necessity of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. It is only when humans recognize that we are connected by the great love of God – in our flesh and in our souls – that we will understand who we are and what we must do. I often have the sense that there is no time to waste.
What drives your life?
The most common negative emotions that drive us, according to Warren, are guilt, resentment, fear, materialism, and the need for approval. Some would add anxiety to this list. Among the life-affirming values that can drive us are love, empathy, passion, a sense of responsibility, a strong work ethic, artistic expression, and generosity. I would add faith and hope.
Understanding what drives us – and what we want to drive us – would matter less if our lives were insignificant, or if we had infinite time to figure things out. But what if Jesus said is true? What if our lives are priceless beyond measure, and what if we don’t have all the time in the world to discern what our life is about? Then these questions of purpose and drive take on some urgency, don’t they? If we are not driven by a genuine sense of purpose, we will drift from one unconsidered path to the next. We may live our lives based on what someone else thinks is important, or we will risk wasting our lives on things that do not matter at all.
To pose the same question about drive and purpose in spiritual language would lead us to consider if God has anything to say to us about how we live our lives. Is there some purpose to which God calls us now? How would knowing, or at least wondering, what God desires for us change the way we spend our days? (Or would it not?)
As a priest, I have gone to more than one bedside to hear someone close to death express regret about missed purpose or wasted opportunity. Often their anxiety is embodied, and there is a struggle to let go of the sense of loss. I have watched others who lived with a sense of purpose approach their death with courage and peace. They do not fear what is to come, because they have fulfilled their call. I am certain that the difference is not coincidental.
Think about it, my friends. What drives you?
As Lent begins in earnest, I pray that the Spirit of God will drive us, as Jesus was driven, to what God desires for us. May God give us the grace to let go of all that we don’t need or have time for anymore, to live with a bit of urgency and intention, and to say yes to what matters most.
Resources: Right Rev. Mariann Budde, Diocese of Washington. http://www.edow.org/article/what-drives-you/