Brenda’s Blog – November 29, 2016
“Food is essential for life therefore – make it good.”
As I stood in line at Chick-Fil-A I read the sign on the wall. The words of founder Truett Cathey made the wait more interesting.
What else is essential for living? Air, breath, shelter – certainly, but aren’t there many more things like relationships, sense of well-being, a purpose… these, too, are essential.
Recently I had a conversation with an extremely bright young woman who is exploring her purpose and her next steps. She wants to make them good; she wants them to express how essential they are. This fall we spent time with many college students who repeatedly asked us about making a difference through their lives. Unlike many news reports, we find this generation of students we meet at Christian colleges to be eager to see what God has designed for their lives. And moreover, they want to connect their experiences with opportunities to be of value to others.
The ideas of productivity and contribution are essential elements of a healthy person. We want to feel like we were put on this earth for a purpose. My Dad used to counsel young people to “find their uniqueness.” As a teenager he was given a paraphrase of Proverbs 18:16: “Take the gift that God has given, and use it, and you will stand before great men.” The actions of taking and using are vital to a productive life.
Serving others is a responsibility we can accept with joy. The more we know about our gifts, talents, skills, and passions, the better we contribute. As we focus on the essential aspects of living well, we more clearly understand that the goodness of chicken applies to all areas of our lives.