Have you ever wondered what is the most important thing in life?
I suspect so.
Often people somehow get the time when we need to face that reality.
We find ourselves having to decide what we want to dedicate our lives to.
We would all like to dedicate it to something that has some impact and that generates satisfaction.
Devote our time, attention and energy to what is really worthwhile.
What really matters.
I would like to share with you a recorded story about Jesus in the Bible which presents us with an interesting perspective on what is most important in life.
And what if the story surprises you and presents something more important than money, freedom, health, family, friends or personal growth?
Here it is:
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.
“Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered.
“No one is good—except God alone.
You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
“One thing you lack,” he said.
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:17-22
This is the story of a young man who had a life longed for by others.
He had an excellent economic and social position.
He was recognized by everyone around him as an example.
A success story.
But something was wrong with him.
Inside he knew what others couldn’t see.
That despite his achievements none of that gave him real peace.
That young man, like all of us, had in his mind paradigms that formed his way of seeing the world.
But in his current circumstance his paradigms confused him.
Everything was supposed to be fine for him.
He had done everything he and other people thought should be done to have the most important thing in life.
But after all his efforts, he had understood that he had not been able to earn what he longed for.
Why?
What was missing?
What else did he have to do?
That was his question.
Many of us have experienced the same circumstance.
We can see that everything around us is fine, but within us, we know that we are missing something important.
Unlike some of us, that young man had identified what so many of us unknowingly seek and cannot find.
Achieve the fulfillment of the real purpose of his existence.
Eternal life.
The most important thing in life.
I had already done everything He was supposed to do.
But he knew he didn’t have it.
How could it be obtained?
He had been watching Jesus for some time, and after seeing him up close.
After listening attentively to his shuddering teachings.
After seeing him join with those most in need and fill with love every need.
Seeing his sympathy as he healed the sick.
And more recently, after witnessing, moments before, his way of loving and blessing children, which he had probably never seen another spiritual leader do.
His heart was baffled.
Who was this?
If anyone could have the answer, it was Him.
An almost irresistible impulse drew him to Jesus to the point where it led him to follow him in his journey.
From one moment to the next and unable to avoid it, he ran and threw himself at his feet in search of hope to find what he had never been able to find.
His experience of beholding Jesus had impressed him to such an extent that an inexplicable conviction that Jesus was special overwhelmed him.
“Good” master tells him spontaneously.
At that moment, that young man was doing something unusual.
Calling a spiritual leader “good” was completely unusual in his environment and had a likely connotation of divinity.
Even more, throwing yourself at someone’s feet before expressing it reinforced that idea.
Surprised by this statement, Jesus confronts him so that he would understand what he had inadvertently just expressed.
“God alone is good,” he tells him.
Giving him the opportunity to see within him the certainty that he now had and that he could fully accept it.
But the paradigms of that young man, that which he did not dare to question for fear of others, stood in the way.
His psycho-social dilemma was such that after understanding him, Jesus felt compassion for him, and seeing the sincerity of his search he loved him.
He loved him in that special and unique way that those of us who experience can attest to.
He loved him, understood him, and accepted him in that unique way that no one can ever love, understand and accept us.
That young man had already taken a giant step by daring to prostrate himself before Jesus.
By accepting his divinity after calling him good.
By allowing his companions, who hated Jesus, to see Him seek answers in Him.
Would he be willing to accept who Jesus really was?
Because if he did, neither his prejudices nor the opinion of others, would matter.
Those of us, too, as that young man, have experienced that same situation of certainty that in Him, we can find the answers to our deepest questions.
The answer to what is most important in life.
Yet we cannot simply be amazed.
We must take the step toward fully accepting him in our lives.
The paradigms of that young man told him to fulfill the purpose of his existence.
Eternal life.
He had to adjust his behavior exactly to what he believed God expected of him.
They told him that his wealth was a reward from God for a good spiritual situation, and that poverty was his punishment for a bad situation.
In his heart, he was pleased with his performance and that God was entirely pleased with him.
Unconsciously, he thought that one of his external actions was enough.
Jesus after understanding the weakness of his reasoning invites him to an inner renewal.
He invites him not to trust in his external actions or your riches, but to love God from the heart and to love others more than his material possessions.
By telling him “follow me” he is offering him what he longed for.
Eternal life.
The most important thing in life.
The gift of full reconciliation from God through Jesus.
Something that goes beyond our actions to transform our inner being back into its likeness.
To fulfill the purpose for which we were created.
But in order for this young man to be able to make use of that gift, he had to do those two things.
Undergo a reform of the heart and follow Jesus.
The invitation offered gives him the opportunity to make up his mind about who Jesus really is.
If he accepted that his expression “good teacher” was true, nothing else would matter.
Dear reader, what you truly believe in will determine how you live your life and will have a direct impact on eternity.
Sadly, the recorded history of this young man is a painful one, because his paradigms prevented him from accepting the obvious.
The real identity of Jesus as God and his own need for true inner spiritual reform.
He went away from Jesus.
The source of life.
The only place where He could find everything that was really worthwhile.
The most important thing in life is eternal life.
A gift from God through Jesus.
I invite you to receive it.
May you follow Jesus.
He is the way to truth and life.
Blessings and a hug.
