Once again, my partner Becky Morris finds Great Questions in a simple human encounter.
I met an interesting young man a few weeks ago at a youth service. This young man happens to currently live away from his home. When I first noticed him I saw that his face was quite red and his breathing a little labored. He very proudly told me that he had run to church, almost 5 miles, because he couldn’t find a ride.
This really intrigued me so I found the time to go and talk with him a little more. Being the inquisitive type, I began asking about his life. He told me a story that would make most people throw in the towel immediately. His mother is missing, his father is remarried and his step-mother has multiple sclerosis so his father couldn’t afford to keep him any longer and sent him to this new place to live. Now I was really fascinated. What motivates this young man? I began asking his plans for the future. He very proudly told me he was a senior in high school and upon graduation wanted to attend college. He is very interested in technology and the passion oozed out of him as he spoke on the topic.
I didn’t want him to feel as though I was grilling him, so we casually ended the conversation and he joined the other kids. While my heart was heavy, and as a mother, I couldn’t help but wonder if all his needs were being met, I still realized the inner-strength of this young man. He wanted to be in the youth service that night, so he ran. It was cold; it was dark; it was dangerous as there are no sidewalks, and yet he didn’t let any of those obstacles stand in the way of his goal. He ran.
All of us are running. We are either running toward something or away from something. As you think about this ask yourself:
- What are you running for?
- What do I want bad enough that I am willing to run past the obstacles, let nothing stand in my way, no matter how difficult, to accomplish my goal?
Intersection of Purpose and Now 