Posts
It was Tuesday when God stepped into Jake’s office. Jake had no idea of standard protocol for a visit from The Almighty. He wondered, Should I rise to greet him? Fall down on my face? Shake his hand. Meet his gaze, avoid it? Jake sat unmoving by no conscious choice.
The Divine Creator of the Universe settled into one of the leather chairs on the other side of the polished mahogany desk and spoke, “Good Day Jake, do you know who I am?”
There was no doubt in Jake’s mind. God smiled at him, a genuine sort of smile that put Jake at ease. For a moment he almost forgot that this sort of thing didn’t happen. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and nodded in reply.
“Excellent. Now how is your life?”
The moment of comfort ended. This wasn’t an easy question. Jake thought about his lovely wife, healthy son, the fine automobile he drove, his prestigious career, beautiful home and many friends. Certainly these were things he was grateful for. But here across the desk sat the Omnipotent Giver of Life. What answer can I give that God doesn’t already know? It seemed presumptuous to even reply. Still when faced with his Creator asking a direct question, it seemed imperative to answer. Jake squeaked, his reply more question than answer, “Good?”
Heaven’s King leaned forward and asked, “Are you sure?”
God dismissed the question with the wave of a hand. Jake felt a wave of relief that the question posed was rhetorical. How could he, an imperfect being, reply to a question posed by All Knowing Perfection? Clearly his first answer had been a guess; he wasn’t sure. God leaned back into the chair and told him, “Actually, I’m here for your question, child. You have one question, what would you ask Me?”
Jake wondered, What’s the most important question I can ask? God is literally sitting in my office, which answers a number of questions in itself. A moment of disbelief flickered through his thoughts, of course, I could be going insane.
God interjected gently, “Even while I sit right here, you can doubt?”
Apparently the sanity question was a freebee, not that it matters. If I am insane, it was answered by my hallucination. Jake shook off the thought. He knew full well that this moment was completely lucid. It was impossible to doubt the existence of God while sitting in His divine presence.
While he’d believed in God, Jake never expected a personal visit from Him . . . in his office . . . without an appointment. Yes, he’d had his doubts. Who didn’t? He’d also had times when there was no doubt whatsoever. Belief was not a significant question, certainly not now.
Jake pondered his life thus far. During elementary school he hadn’t put much thought into what he wanted to do with it. Despite his present success, he felt a little envious of those who’d figured out at age seven that they wanted to be a neurologist or Ambassador to the United Nations. How awesome it must be to know what you are made for and to run after it with youthful exuberance! By age seven he had no idea, not even vague dreams of being a submarine captain, robot designer or circus ringmaster.
By high school, he dreamed of and worked toward being a music star. Two years after graduation, his doggedly hard work paid off. His band cut their first album. The euphoria dissolved into three months of bickering while touring before the band split. Jake, who had signed the contract, ended up with 8,000 unsold copies of the only album he’d ever made. With them came a rather large bill.
He’d wanted to change the world with his music, to make it a better place. He remembered, with the King of Kings sitting across his desk, Divinity was the driving force behind that music. Overwhelming debt at age twenty changed his view. It seemed a sign that it wasn't meant to be. Music was done for him. It was time to grow up. Now he wondered, Did I fail a test there? Did I give up too easily?
Those kids who knew what they wanted to do at age seven rarely picked anything that didn’t have some potential to make the world better. They all wanted to be cops, fireman, veterinarians, pop stars, pro athletes and teachers. None of them picked real estate developer, corporate accountant or investment banker. Kids don’t need to be realistic, they don’t have bills to pay.
He was disillusioned over his shattered music dream and the travesty of footing a $30,000 bill for albums he knew he could never sell. This signaled the first step toward where he was today. Jake had made his way through college working two jobs while sleeping about four hours a week. He managed to pay off the record company and obtain his law degree in eight years. At twenty-nine he passed the bar exam. He became the youngest partner in his firm before his thirty-fifth birthday. His salary was substantial. By every worldly standard he was a success. But he knew he wasn’t being measured by worldly standards when God was holding the ruler.
The driving force behind his law degree was a belief that victims needed a voice. He wanted to rescue any others out there with $30,000 in worthless recordings before their dreams were crushed. These ideals had faded when challenged by practicality. Law school left Jake with student loans that rivaled a home mortgage. A non-profit firm was going to pay half what a private firm offered. The money was good, but his moral fortitude had grown calloused earning it. Significant pro bono work wasn't exactly encouraged.
Jake thought hard about the decisions he’d made. How have I gone from someone who wanted to change the world to someone who wants nothing more than to profit from it? Does God really care that I have a seven bedroom house? A country club membership? A one handicap in my golf game? That I donate some money to charity when it pleases me? . . . What’s the point of me? There’s nothing that I can accomplish that will impress my creator, is there?
He looked upon Majesty, the most important question in his life forming in his heart. God nodded. “Go ahead and ask, my child. You are ready.”
Jake swallowed hard, cleared his throat three times. With a deep breath he asked the question. He feared the answer knowing it might change his life forever. “What was I born to do?”
God smiled approvingly. Rather than answering, He asked Jake, “What’s the difference between a busload of school kids driving off a cliff and a busload of lawyers driving off a cliff?”
God came to tell me a lawyer joke? Jake thought. “I don’t know.”
“The world considers one of them to be a tragedy.”
God smiled sadly then continued, “I might consider the other to be a bigger tragedy.”
God smiled sadly then continued, “I might consider the other to be a bigger tragedy.”
“The lawyers?” Jake guessed, unsure why.
God nodded. “I love all my children, Jake. But children more often remember what is required of them where adults more often forget. How much more tragic it is for those who have lost their way to run out of time before they find it again.”
Jake nodded, although he didn’t feel like he understood. Is God asking me to quit my career? To leave all I've worked for behind? To start from scratch? He waited a moment knowing that he didn’t need to speak for God to know what was on his heart.
God held his hands up, indicating the opulent corner office on the twenty eighth floor with the expansive view. “Would you leave all this behind for me?”
Jake felt a lump in his throat. He feared the challenges of life without the backing of his substantial salary. His wife, his son, would they understand? Still, he feared this less than he feared disappointing the Holy One who brought him into this world. He knew if God asked, he would walk away from it all. He nodded, mouthing, “Yes.”
“This is good, but it is not what I require of you this day. I’ve known every detail of your life since before creation. My child, your path has always been your own. Where you are now might not be where I would prefer, but it fits my plan. It is good. You were born for the same purpose as every man and woman. You were born to do what is right, love your fellow man and to walk with Me.”
Jake felt as dense as a block of Indonesian teak wood. He replied meekly, “I don’t understand.”
“It isn’t so much what you do, my child. It’s how you do it. Truly, I've been served well by musicians and kings. But I've been served just as well by tent makers, shepherds, even criminals. My own Son was a carpenter. Be the best lawyer you can, Jake. But do it in a way that pleases Me.”
Not everyone can serve God as publicly as Mother Teresa, Bono, Billy Graham or Tim Tebow. Still, we all have the same purpose in life. Even the most innocuous job offers the opportunity to find what we were born for.
If God sat down in the room with you, would you be brave enough to ask what you were born for? Are you brave enough to ask him even if he isn't physically sitting in the room?
Micah 6:8
. . . And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
