I recently spoke at my high school’s graduation ceremony. I spoke with the Class of 2008 about the importance of giving vs. taking, contributing vs. consuming and committing to making a difference. I learned a long time ago that my life was not mine, it was a gift to me from the Lord. I also learned that the Lord wanted me to use my life to make a difference in whatever role I was playing. I often hear people moan and groan about not having meaning in their life or wishing they knew what God wanted them to do.
It is pretty simple, Jesus told us what the 2 most important commandments were in Matthew 22:36-40…Love God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (whether they are your friends or not). Jesus came down and walked amongst us in order to simplify God’s wishes for us. Jesus told us to concentrate on what we could do instead of what we couldn’t do i.e. the 10 commandments.
Living these 2 commandments in all roles we play will create a life of contribution. It is impossible to contribute if we are in love with ourselves and our selfish needs. By focusing on God and others we will always be in a position to make a difference.
Now back to the title of this post…I am worried about our American society. We have slowly evolved into a society of consumers/takers with less and less people observing the 2 most important commandments and living a life of contribution. When consumers outnumber contributors in any organization or body of life, eventually there will be nothing left. Hmmm another topic for another day.
P.E.A.C.E.
