Scholarships

So, I was writing this essay for an Educators Credit Union Scholarship today and the prompt was to write about your future aspirations in at least 250 words. This got me thinking...what is an aspiration? Why can't they say future goals or plans or write about how you have no plan for the future? Well I looked up this word and according to Merriam-Webster it means " a desire to achieve something high or great."

An aspiration is not actually achieving something high or great, but only desiring it. Simply have a want for it. I have a desire for a mega-hot wife, loads of money and a big boat. Unfortunately, I may never obtain any three of these things in any specific order. This got me thinking, of course not on the essay at hand (which is due tomorrow) but about our Christian lives.

Do we as Christians have just an aspiration to seek God, to truly seek after God with all we have, totally devoted to Him? I think a lot of times this is true for most Christians, myself included. We remember what it was like when we had the heart to honestly love and to run to God as well as show love to everyone around us. We remember these times that did actually happen and long for these times when we were the closest to God we have ever been. We remember these times and instead of being truly convicted and spurred to action, we long for these times, do nothing about getting back there, and say we "aspire" to meet with God.

Aspiration is a key element in seeking after the love of our lives daily. A true longing, deep-rooted, genuine desire to seek after God is essential for us to have that amazingly intimate relationship with Him that He so graciously allows us. But aspiration and desires without action mean nothing. If I want to be the best high school baseball player ever, I don't just sit and dream about how cool it would be. I go and practice, practice, and practice and let that deep longing consume my actions to focus on reaching that goal.

I am truly amazed that God worked in my life today through an essay prompt that I have probably seen at least twenty times. I can only pray that I do not remain stuck in the melancholy, drab, lukewarm waters of "aspiration" but that God will give me a heart to love Him, and act on this love.