God’s Success Formula
Consider the words of Jesus when He answered the direct question of the Scribes: which is the greatest commandment of all?
His answer should make our ears prick up.
Jesus is about to summarize all of the commandments and crystallize into a couple of sentences a few simple thoughts on what matters to God about human life. It’s the ultimate sound bite or pull out quote. In essence, it’s God’s success formula for human life on earth in a few sentences. The entire message of the Bible, and the gospel, in one easy to read and understand statement.
And how does He answer?
Mark 12:29-31 NKJV
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Jesus’ summary for success in life is a direction for where we should direct our affections. Our loves. The inner drivers of our thoughts and intents. That we should fully love God. And…that we should love others with the same commitment and intensity that we would love ourselves.
In other words, just as we are attentive to our own needs and desires, we should be just as attentive to the needs and desires of others.
I think we can agree that we are faithful to ourselves. I mean, it is easy to be aware of what we want and what we need. In fact, left unchecked, it is, at times, all we think about.
Its not hard to be attentive to ourselves. Its normally the first thing we are aware of each day, as we wake up, stagger to the kitchen for that first coffee, shower and dress ourselves and head into our day.
We are constantly and perpetually aware of ourselves.
“I feel like this today.”
“I think this.”
“I want this.”
“I need this.”
The commandment of Jesus is saying: see this pattern in yourself?
This is called mindfulness of self, or self-awareness, that comes from our desire to care for self. Or…self-love.
You are fully present to YOU – what you need, what you think and what you desire.
Now live this same level of attentive, faithful love, towards God and towards others.
Simply, to be fully present with God and others is, in this same way, the highest expression of what ‘true love’ really is.
You see - it’s one thing to simply show up for someone else…(physically…I mean).
Most people can manage to do that, even if it was just once, for something or someone that needed them or a situation that needed some attention or intervention of some sort. I mean, even for someone you barely know, or don’t even particularly like, most people could find it in themselves to show up. At least just the once.
But to show up - to really ‘presence yourself’ – regularly, consistently, day after day, week after week, month after month, each and every time a person needed you - and even to show up when they don’t need you, or haven’t asked you to - is another level of commitment.
Of course, being present is more than just showing up…physically.
There is no point in just being bodily present if the FULL YOU doesn’t also come along for the ride. True presence means that you are there in heart, soul, mind and strength without distraction. Fully present physically and fully engaged; giving to the other one the fullness of your inner resources.
And of course…this type of Faithful Presence doesn’t just happen.
There is some background work going on.
Think of it…
Before you can ‘presence yourself’ you must have thought about the need to ‘presence yourself.’ It’s the result of thinking and planning ahead. Of intentionality. Of a mind and heart that is always thinking of the needs of the ‘other one’ - ever anticipating, ever mindful, ever meditating on what is likely to be their needs and desires.
It the result of continually considering what matters to this ‘other one.’ Their agenda, their hopes, their dreams, their expectations, their schedules and their time frames.
Then, in spite of the personal cost; which means, not considering your own personal needs, priorities, and interests as being more important than those of this ‘other one,’ you have re-positioned yourself, or re-located yourself, to be physically present.
You have mentally and emotionally bought into the heart and world of the other one, while you are with them.
Can you feel the weight of this!
Actually ‘living out’ the idea of Faithful Presence, towards another person, is a huge commitment. It’s also a way of living that doesn’t just bless the world of the other one that you are leaning into, it also re-orients your inner world. Your priorities. Your needs, and the importance of your needs, in relation to the importance of the needs of the other one. The way you assess what is important is now dramatically challenged by your assessment of the needs of the other one, and you are taking a permanent second seat.
You have become servant where before you were master. You have taken yourself out of the centre and placed the wellbeing of the other one in the seat you, yourself, once occupied.
This is a huge shift. A dramatic and life transforming change in your inner world and then, your external routines and behaviors.
So, why does Jesus want us to live this way? It almost seems impossible to actually live like this. Is He asking too much? Has He set the bar too high and out of reach for everyday people to really understand and live from?
Or is there something powerful in God’s commandment that actually unlocks our mental and physical health and well-being - that brings joy and peace into our inner world like nothing else can.
Living the life of ‘being present’ is a way of being and living that unlocks all of our inner potential, can heal our inner wounds and damaged parts and restore our human relationships, releasing in them an authentic love, heartfelt joy and an abiding peace that has the power to restore the fullness of the health of our marriages, families, communities, churches, neighborhoods - and ultimately, nations.
