Aligning Purpose

I was living in New Jersey when 9/11 happened. Like the majority of people, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I lived across the Hudson River and in the weeks and months afterward I can recall seeing the makeshift memorials, the smoke, full churches, overly polite people and American flags everywhere.

181,510 Americans enlisted into active-duty service during the year after 9/11. The military hasn’t seen numbers like that since then.

I assume if you ask people why they join the military the number one reason would be to Serve Our Country. There are however other reasons. I found an on-line a list of 25 reasons for joining the military:

Serve Our Country, To Learn New Skills or a Trade, To Find Purpose, To Travel, To Get Physically Fit, To Pay for College, To Save Money, To Have Adventure, To Enjoy Job Stability, To Retire Early, To Gain Experience, To Continue Family Tradition, To Find An Alternate to College, To Earn Respect, To Form Friendships, To Receive Housing Stipend or Loan, To Learn Discipline, To Gain Perspective, To Meet Challenges, To Earn Military Perks, To Get Paid Vacation Days, To Get Help Starting A Business, To Find A Positive Environment, To Showcase Leadership Abilities.

As I am writing this, Russia and Ukraine have been at war for 70 days. Most people thought the war would be over in a week or two. The people of the Ukraine are bravely defending their land as Russian forces invade. You don’t have to convince Ukraianian people to fight, they have purpose.

I remember reading an article stating that Russian military youth were told to get on a plane not knowing where they were going. Imagine finding out you are invading your neighbor, a peaceful country, and then being asked to risk your life for this ignoble cause. Captured Russian soldiers say the same thing…

“They tricked us, they duped us, I think 90% of us would agree to go home”.

The majority of the Russian army would go home if they could.

In our house church we have been discussing what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be obedient. For me, aligning purpose is important in considering both these questions. Tony Hsieh writes in his book Delivering Happiness which focuses on employee/organizational relations.

The combination of physical synchrony with other humans and being part of something bigger than oneself (and thus losing momentarily a sense of self) leads to a greater sense of happiness.

He suggests new hires should understand and agree with the purpose of the organization before they commit to working there. I believe it is true in the church setting also.

Like joining the military or being hired on by a company, we can list multiple reasons why we say yes to Christ. Why did you say yes to Christ? Did you understand the purpose and hardships of following Christ before you said yes?

When struggle and persecution come, will you feel you’ve been duped into becoming a Christian and want to return to the comforts of home? Suffering is coming. If you watch the news you know persecution for Christians in North America has started…are you ready? We need to be sober and ask ourselves what is our purpose for following Christ, what is the purpose of the group we are a part of and what does following Christ really mean.