Jen’s Gem: Get in agreement with God.
I recently read that Jennifer Hudson has become a member of the EGOT club. That is, she has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award. Quite an accomplishment shared by only a handful of people in the world.
It seems like only yesterday she graced us with her voice on American Idol. Surprisingly not even winning the competition, but rather coming in seventh place! I wonder if this accomplishment was on her bucket list.
Bucket list.
The term became popular several years ago when a movie of the same name hit the theaters. Its stars, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, both suffering from terminal diseases, decide to take a road trip in the hopes of putting a check mark next to their “top ten” desires before they leave the planet.
The bucket list of my young adult years was very vanilla – graduate college, get a good job, get married, kids, house. Nothing surprising – it’s the so-called “American Dream.” Check.
Last year, I spent some time trying to discern the next items on the bucket list of my life. Personality and strengths assessments were taken. Conversations with coaches and friends were held. Mini-retreats were taken. All done to find the answer to the one question that’s on everyone’s mind:
“Why am I here?”
What would make God want to put me on earth? What job does He have for me that will truly make a difference in other people’s lives? It’s a weighty question for all of us, isn’t it? How do we make our lives purposeful? How do we do more than survive, but thrive?
I think the answer comes down to one question that I heard in a Bible teaching this week:
“What cause would you die for?”
I had to hit pause on the audio after hearing this. It is not a question to be answered easily or quickly. However, there is one person who didn’t bat an eye when presented with this weighty inquiry.
Jesus.
When God saw the hot mess that was going on in His world thousands of years ago, (well, actually billions and billions), and that His children were in a state of chaos, needing a Savior, it was Jesus’ hand that shot up as He said – “I’ll do it. I’ll save them. They are soooo worth dying for!”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV)
Jesus did not have to consult with an executive coach or talk to His peeps to discover the cause that was the most important to Him. So important in fact that He’d give up His life for it. He had a singular item on His bucket list:
Save my family.
He spent His life singularly focused on this one goal. He talked about how wonderful heaven is and why this forever home should be the very first line item on everyone’s bucket list. He touched tens of thousands of lives with His teachings, miracles, and healings. He transformed lives not just for a few decades, but for eternity when He rose from the dead.
He did the hard part – He gave up His life to save ours. We have the easy part – just believe it.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NKJV)
Next week, I will celebrate a milestone birthday. MILESTONE. When I ponder my response to the question above, I have only one answer. The cause that’s most important to me is my kids. When I head to my heavenly mansion, I want my biggest accomplishment to be that I did everything I could to ensure that their bucket list matches God’s:
- Home in heaven.
Everything after that is icing on the (birthday) cake.