On Aiming Higher
A clear memory from my youth was my dad saying, “Aim high. You might hit the outhouse wall, but dust yourself off and aim higher again.”
Too often in life we aim too low. Aim higher.
Aim higher than happiness and fun. People talk about these ad nauseam. We measure all too much of life by how happy something makes us or how much fun we have doing it.
Aim for something better: joy. Joy comes from a relationship with God in Jesus. Joy comes from knowing the presence, power, promise and love of God for us. Joy endures during times or things that are neither happy nor fun.
Happy and fun are not bad, but they are temporary. Enjoy happy and fun when they come, but always aim higher. Let the joy of the LORD be your strength. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2
Aim higher than winning and succeeding. No one likes to lose. Winning is the thing! Too much of life has become a competition. We measure ourselves in comparison to others: money, titles, achievements, accumulations, wins and losses. We live as though life is a zero sum game. For me to win and succeed someone else must lose.
Aim for a higher measure: significance. Jesus teaches the way of significance, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44 Like happy and fun, winning and succeeding are temporary. A life of significance is one that makes an enduring difference. Focus your greatest efforts on what will make lasting changes in the lives of others, especially as they impact the Kingdom.
Aim higher than a good retirement. It never hurts to start saving for retirement. The earlier you start the more resources and options you can accumulate. But be careful that you don’t get the wrong idea of God’s plan for you in retirement. Many people think of retirement as being able to do nothing but play. They look forward to idleness.
Aim for a greater good: redeployment. God does not give us life for either idleness or personal amusement. Even in retirement God expects his people to be engaged in meaningful and purposeful servanthood. Yes, you may have greater flexibility in terms of time and finances, but you should still expect to live life to the glory of God and the good of those around you. Set free from the need to earn a specific amount of money to survive, you can engage in meaningful activities without having to worry about remuneration. Such a view of retirement as redeployment will lead to… joy and significance.