Vigilance.
The glory of God is the human person fully alive; and life consists in beholding God…
God became man, so man could become like God…. Christ became what we are, so that He might bring us to be what He Himself is.
~ St. Irenaeus of Lyon (ca. 115 - 202)
A couple day ago I woke up with a vivid scene in my mind. Ever have dreams that feel heaven-sent? They’re like brushes with the divine that fade all too quickly. In my dream I was standing in a large informal gathering, and someone was expressing appreciation for my work (always nice!) and asked if I had anything I wanted to share. I’m not usually great with impromptu speaking, but something deep welled up in me, and I began to share something like this…
Every one of us is wired from birth with a homing beacon toward a particular redemptive idea that the world needs. It’s like one of God’s fingerprints indelibly etched on your soul and it speaks to your truest identity and purpose. You might call it a life message, a life verse, or a sense of mission, and it overshadows everything you think and do. When you come across that idea in other people or other places, it resounds loudly. Something inside of you goes, Yes! That’s it! This is what matters most.
Many, though, struggle to articulate their message, their homing beacon. It’s something they sense vaguely at times… but then lose track of until it resurfaces at another time and place. I’d like to suggest that this divine seed we carry inside us is the most important thing about us and must be nurtured and protected so that it can shine out in every time and every place. No matter your vocation, no matter your location, this is your true north. This is the compass heading for your life, however it may be expressed.
I remember in the dream getting choked up and only being able to speak in a breathy whisper because the gravitas of it felt so overwhelming. There was a divine urgency to it, like a wake-up call to the entire human family. I’m not trying to be melodramatic or grandiose; I’m just conveying something that I hope is already—or could possibly—orient all the relationships you have and decisions you make.
Here’s how the whole life message / homing beacon works for me. I was in my 50s before I could articulate this fundamental orientation in my life, and I found the wording for it in the Message version of Matthew 11:28-30… to live “freely and lightly” (in the context of this passage) and to help others do the same. I feel compelled to roll off the unnecessary cares and worries (the thorns of Mt 13:22) that accumulate so easily and step back into sync with Jesus, walking and working in the “unforced rhythms of grace.” I want this to be my greatest influence and most enduring legacy.
But here’s the challenge: In my experience, your life message will be contended for. Like the birds eating the seed in the four soils parable, this transformational germ will get stolen, crowded out, and otherwise squelched… unless you are absolutely vigilant to nurture and protect it. Do you know what I’m talking about?
In my case, even though every cell in my body vibrates when I renew my attention toward and experience of “freely and lightly,” this is the very place in my soul most vulnerable to distraction and reversion. In a dark plot twist, my soul is a lightning rod for worry, anxiety, pressure, overwhelm, and angst… the very antithesis of “freely and lightly”! So I wonder if others experience something similar—that same paradox between “the sin that so easily entangles” and “the running with perseverance and joy” (Heb 12:1-2). Is your life message subject to constant erosion and distraction? And what do you do to remain vigilant in safeguarding that precious seed inside you?
growing the soul
What do you do if you can’t name your life message? Simple: just pick one that you believe could be possible for you and then “wear” it for a while. Start looking at your life through that lens and see what happens. Does it bring you into a greater sense of alignment, or does it feel clunky and forced? If it’s not working, pick another and try that one. Ask God to bring it into focus without stress. Maybe consider a personal retreat to spend some time around that theme. If it takes a while to emerge, no shame: It is truly the journey, not the destination.
serving the world
What do you do if you can name your life message? Lean into it. Spend more time in journaling or discernment to see how closely your life is in alignment with this mission. Talk to your spiritual director or a soul friend about this theme, this orientation, and see how they experience that in and through you. Now tie it into your Rhythm of Life and review it seasonally or at least once a year. No written Rhythm of Life? (Shameless plug alert…) Go through my book Gravitas for an easy template. It could change your life!
takeaway
Focus.