Dream Job
What is your dream job?
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." - John 6:25-27
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus seems to be reprimanding the very people he just fed the day before, telling them they are chasing the wrong dream.
He tells them they are working for food that perishes, rather than food that endures.
What are we working for?
We work hard to make money so we can spend it on the things we need. We hope to make enough to get things we want, or to take time off from work so we can enjoy the time we have in this life, but wouldn't it be better to enjoy the work as well?
What is the dream job Jesus is offering?
I think we were meant to enjoy this life, not just for a few days or weeks of vacation, but everyday. How can we afford to do that if we are spending all our time working at a job we really don't find rewarding or meaningful?
We tend to put off the things we feel are meaningful and engaging until we have the time, until we retire and can afford to spend our time volunteering or teaching or answering the call to serve.
If I hadn't lost my job, would I have found what I am doing now? Probably not. The daily grind is a major distraction. It is all consuming and it exhausts us mentally and physically.
When we come home from a long day of battling the world, we are beat. All we can do is drop into a chair and vegetate.
If we are going to expend all that energy, why not do it for something more than a salary?
I believe we are in an age of revelation, where we all have the need to find our true center, to connect with one another and with God in a way that is life enriching, that eternal kingdom here and now, in this life.
So, let's try to do what Jesus says, and find the food to work for that enriches the soul. It may just change our whole outlook on life.
More to come...