Jabroni

I've been running into five kinds of people; oversimplified so that I can make one point:

Person 1: "I've always wanted to be _______. But now I'm stuck doing _______.

Person 2: "I would've never imagined I'd be ______ and doing ________. But wow, here I am!"

Person 3: "I'm so tired and so busy. This sucks."

Person 4: "I always knew what I wanted to do and be. And now I'm living the dream!"

Person 5: "This is my life and I've accepted it."


Person 1: This person had an idea of what he wanted to do and be and probably invested a lot of time, energy, thought, and resources into achieving that goal. When "life happened" and he didn't achieve his goal, he feels as if he is "stuck", useless, discouraged.

Person 2: This person either used to resist the idea of what he is currently involved in, or he simply never seriously considered his current position to be a reality. But now that he is where he is, he is grateful at all the new opportunities to learn more about himself and the world and is ready for more.

Person 3: This person may or may not have found his "dream job". His self-centered perspective may be hindering him from enjoying the fullness of life. He may even be looking forward to this enigmatic, intangible period of happiness and rest once he is not busy or tired (and he's in for a rude awakening!)

Person 4: This person may have found temporary satisfaction with where he is and what he is/is doing, but if he doesn't snap out of it, he will become disillusioned. There are simply too many twists and turns in life - life is NOT a dream! He would have to be a very flexible and forgiving person if something were to drastically change his way of life, otherwise he may be devastated.

Person 5: On the positive end, this person has accepted their responsibilities and roles and is willing to go through with them. On the negative end, this person may have "given up" or stopped looking for a greater purpose, allowing his situation to dominate his life experience.

Ever since I was a young child, I was thrust into many roles and positions that I didn't ask for. My parents always explained to me that I represented something/someone bigger than myself and therefore should diligently play my role well, regardless of how I felt. The "American dream" of "following your heart" and "pursuing your dreams" weren't emphasized so much as "this is what needs to be done, please do what you can to help".

I was able to conform to this mindset and lifestyle for some time and was seen as a responsible, young man. But bitterness did eventually take over and I rebelled. I wanted to "live my life". Years later, I'm accepting that what my parents were trying to teach me is the way I want to live - in obedience to God and living for a greater purpose that trumps my own personal desires.

Isn't that what having a "role" is? A role implies that there is a greater movement requiring selfless service from each of its multiple moving parts. For example: A movie cannot be created with the actors alone. Just stay 10 minutes after a movie ends and read the "credits", and you'll know what I mean. I like this quote about everyone knowing their roles: "The quarterback gets all the praise, while the offensive lineman did the job".

The more I'm caught up thinking about how my talents, dreams and ambitions are not being fulfilled, the more I lose sight of living in God's will. Complaint is the lens I put on when I want things my own way. And Complaint's older brother is Control. I'm learning to let go of Control, and instead of inviting Complaint in, taking on a Conformed and grateful heart to the Father's will.

So, my one point? If you know your role and understand that it is an essential contribution to the success of the greater mission, then there is no room for complaint; only grateful and loyal diligence.

Now, some words of wisdom:

The Rock says...
Know your role and shut your mouth!
It doesn't matter what you think!
It doesn't matter what your name is, you jabroni!
- The Rock (aka. Dwayne Johnson)

Harsh? Yes, but it is something that I, a jabroni, need to hear sometimes.

Disturbing in his own way, Jesus had something to say on this too. Click here for a contemporary translation.