“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Quote from “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge.
I received “Captivating” by Sasti and John Eldredge for Christmas and after I read it I decided to read “Wild at Heart.” The books cover similar ground. I have heard mixed reviews about the books. Many themes in the books have been covered by others but I found it to be a refreshing read. The themes are presented from a different perspective using original illusions but the themes themselves are not new.
I first came across the theme of romantic love when I was reading Selwyn Hughes’ Every Day With Jesus March/April 2000, that edition being called “The Beloved” and in it Hughes draws much from the Song of Solomon. The Eldredge are also highly influenced by Neil Anderson and quote several times from him. Neil Anderson is also a favourite of mine.
Having read the books several weeks ago two thoughts have stayed with me. One is that the devil will particularly attack anything that is beautiful, which explains such things as pollution, the oppression of women etc.
Secondly that Christians have tried to make the Christian life safe and in doing so have made it boring. In trying to make the Christian life safe men have become passive and reluctant to take risks. Women have become distracted with careers, home making etc. In retrospective I’m not sure if the Eldredge’s actual say this but that is what I thought after I read the books. To start to solve the problem we need to ask ourselves what makes me come alive? Which I have found to be a difficult question.
Oh really really interesting! I’m still reading “Captivating”. [I read a lot slower than you obviously.] I’m finding it quite revealing and challenging. More than anything it seems to be refreshing my thinking. The whole “living under lies” thing makes me realise what I’m really believing about myself and that those things are lies. On the general side anyway. Conquering them and changing my beliefs is hard though.
When you get a taste of alive-ness, it really seems to waken the soul. Enough tasting makes me long to be alive. Enough to get myself moving rather than just stay with a familiar routine…hense my moving to Bendigo to study childcare. Discovering what makes you come alive IS quite difficult. May our journeys be enlightening.
what a dangerous concept. often times in my own life, i find that the things that make me come alive are often times things that i have been warned against. moments of throwing abandon to the wind and being common with people and their experiences. moments that are definitely not safe. but they are good.
good wonderings indeed.
To start to solve the problem we need to ask ourselves what makes me come alive? Which I have found to be a difficult question.
Well, don’t try to answer the question at a desk, where you’re trying to solve it as a problem. Catch yourself when you feel alive, and decide to “do more of that.”
Or at least think about the question while you’re walking, rather than sitting. (However long the history of the race has been, some of the hunter/gatherer theories make sense to me. We were made to solve problems on our feet. Perhaps not math problems, but most life problems.)
Yes, thanks for this. I have been trying to “catch myself”.
And I do think better on my feet. Actually I get my best ideas when I’m mopping the floor, yet this still doesn’t encourage me to mop the floor!