{"id":4769,"date":"2018-03-06T17:48:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T23:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=4769"},"modified":"2018-03-06T17:48:01","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T23:48:01","slug":"get-off-the-meaning-treadmill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2018\/03\/get-off-the-meaning-treadmill\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Off the “Meaning Treadmill”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We all want to figure out life. We want to understand. We want to know what it all means. And that\u2019s where I want to begin: with the simple premise that every person longs for meaning.
\nMeaning is both the way we define what matters most in life and how we pursue that. Meaning is how we decide what\u2019s more or less important\u2014and if we\u2019re lucky, it\u2019s how we know what\u2019s the most important thing of all.
\nI like how this psychologist puts it: \u201cAs human beings, we need to make meaning of our existence. Meaning gives definition to our life and our life path.<\/strong> This search for meaning is often challenging. How do we make sense of who we are within a world that seems out of balance with poverty, war, and famine on the one hand and tremendous privilege on the other?\u201d[1]<\/a>
\nI mentioned in the prelude that we\u2019re going to be exploring what it means to live in three directions: upward, inward, and outward. And here in the first movement, we\u2019re looking at what it means to live upward, which might seem a strange choice.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re talking about the art of living, it seems like inward (us) and outward (others) would be the most important. The reason we\u2019re beginning upward, though, is that the way we understand God changes everything<\/strong>. I believe that with all my heart.
\nSee, what we believe (or disbelieve) about God shapes the way we think and the way we act. That\u2019s why figuring out how to live inward and outward depends on living upward.
\nUsually, though, we look for meaning in the next big life event, rather than in our relationship with God.<\/strong> When I get to college. When I graduate. When I get my dream job. When I get married. When I have kids. When I own a house. When I get promoted.
\nThose aren\u2019t bad things. The problem comes when we expect them to provide a level of meaning they can\u2019t.
\nAt some point we find ourselves asking why we cared so much. We might be sitting in our offices doing our \u201cperfect\u201d jobs, wondering why we ever expected this to make such a difference in our lives. There always comes a moment when the thing that was supposed to provide meaning doesn\u2019t, and all we can say is, \u201cReally? That\u2019s it?\u201d<\/em>
\nWhat happens next is we figure we were chasing the wrong thing .\u00a0.\u00a0. so we chase the next thing instead.
\nThe next job, the next relationship, the next amount of money. The \u201cmeaning treadmill\u201d can last a lifetime\u2014but it doesn\u2019t have to.<\/strong> Meaning isn\u2019t floating around somewhere, waiting to be captured. Meaning is made\u2014it\u2019s what happens at the intersection of upward\/inward\/outward. It\u2019s what happens when what we think and believe is expressed in (or collides with) how we act. Part of the art of living is learning how to make the right meaning out of our lives.
\nAnd that depends on how we relate to God.
\nA lot of the time we\u2019re like fish, swimming around our little aquariums. Now I don\u2019t know much about the consciousness levels of fish, but I don\u2019t imagine a fish thinking, Wow, my water is so interesting today! I really notice it! It seems like it\u2019s about, maybe, 0.3 degrees warmer, and it just feels so good sliding across my scales while I swim!<\/em>[2]<\/a>
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Finish reading chapter one here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nFish are like us when it comes to meaning! The most important thing in life\u2014God, in whom we live, move, and have our being[3]<\/a>\u2014so often escapes our attention.
\nWhich is why I\u2019m glad you\u2019re reading this, because I can ask you straight out: What is more important than your relationship with God?<\/strong>
\nI know that\u2019s a \u201cpastor\u201d kind of question, but that doesn\u2019t make it wrong! I mean, if there is a God who created and sustains everything (which I believe), then our relationship with God is ultimate.
\nNow here\u2019s where I\u2019m going to take us: We all need meaning, and because ultimate meaning can only be found in our relationship with God, worship is what satisfies our need for meaning.<\/strong>
\nYou might be like, \u201cOkay, Fusco, not sure I buy that. That\u2019s a big jump you\u2019re making.\u201d
\nYep, it is.
\nI want you to read the… keep reading chapter 1 here.<\/a><\/p>\n
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You’ve been reading Daniel Fusco’s Upward, Inward, Outward: Love God, Love Yourself, Love Others.<\/em> Daniel is an expert on illustrating how Jesus is at street level with you and me. In this book he unpacks how the greatest commandment Jesus gave us is to be lived out today. We only have one life, so we need to live the most meaningful life possible!<\/p>\n