While I’ve been back here in Boston, one of the things I’ve been doing is going to a job seeking support group. It’s at one of the government sponsored career centers in Boston. People share the journey in their career and job search.
Well one of the things that I’m always impressed with is the job getting skills that people have. I mean, skills at how to put together a resume and cover letter, how to word things. How to apply online for a job, how to prepare for a phone interview. How to use craig’s list and linkedin, how to write strategic thank you notes. The list goes on and on. It’s amazing what all the folks can do in the group. And sometimes, it works. Sometimes all the stress and effort and self-management and anxiety pays off. Someone gets a job and brings in food for everyone else. It’s making for a group of hard laboring go-getters – that’s what it seems like we all need for success in the career world. We need to be go-getters.
Well, here I am, just putting together my resume, amazed at all that these people can do, and I get an offer from a priest in Ecuador to come down and work in evangelization and with the handicapped and the rest of the local people. It’s a great offer, just what I am looking for right now. But it didn’t come from my go-getter skills. There were no resumes or online applications, no long days of interviews, waiting for phone calls, crafting strategies. It came just because I’ve given a lot of myself to the people there.
It came from being a go-giver.
Jesus tells his disciples early on, do not be anxious about your life, about what you’ll need for money or food or property. He tells them to sell their possessions, He tells the rich young man to go and sell and give all he owns, He says that His disciples must renounce everything they have, even their family and friends, their house and home. He tells them to take their attention off the job and career and money and property, off the future, off their whole life and livelihood – and to put all their focus on Him and what He’s doing. He says that God will actually give us all those things we dream of having. “For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Mt 6:32-33) He tells them not to be go-getters.
Be go-givers.
Now, all our skills that we already have are great and useful, but to follow Jesus, He wants us to stop being go-getters, to let go and follow Him and trust to let God fulfill our dreams and desires, to give us the mate, the career, the home, the life that we really want. Our part is to trust in Him, to put our focus on Him and what He’s doing. He’ll take care of everything else.
Let go of go-getting.
Be a go-giver.
ALM 