Lack of Purpose

As I walked to the subway a number of weeks ago, I encountered a scene in front of a local deli. Two men stood there and in a conversation replete with profanity, discussed the weekend baseball scores.

First and foremost, let me state that I'm not the type of sanctimonious Catholic/Christian who is of the belief that sports are ungodly. Quite simply, I hate to see human life wasted, and I become rankled when I encounter individuals who merely exist without any regard for their God-given purpose. One of those men, whom I referred to, can typically be found on White Plains Road, as he aimlessly struts the area, or lounges in front of the deli by himself, as well as with others.

In the 1955 drama Marty, the lead character, played by Ernest Borgnine, congregated with those who preferred to whittle their days in aimless pursuit. The famous dialogue in that film centered on "What do you want to do tonight?..."I don't know...what do you want to do?" For myself, I have chosen to disassociate from friends such as that. My own epiphany occurred 20 years ago, on November 11, 1994. I had visited a family member and on that Friday evening, as we wandered aimlessly from one suburban strip mall to the next, I cried out inwardly "There has to be more than this!" I realized then, as I do now, that time is a precious commodity given to me by God. I refuse to squander it in laziness and futility. I also came to the awareness that the Lord, on the day that I stand before Him, would question as to how I utilized both the gifts and years that He bestowed upon me. It therefore became necessary to adjust my inner circle and eliminate those with low expectations, and who wanted nothing more from life other than a constant influx of social media, television, shopping, and dining out.

Psalm 91:16 states "With long life I will satisfy them and show them My salvation." I thank the Lord for that promise, but it would grieve me to have arrived at old age only to be confronted with the fact that I had never disengaged myself from the ordinary, in order to embrace significance. That of itself has prompted me to seek Him on a daily basis, and then obey that which He has directed me to do.