Seek
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.”
~ Basho
“The world is filled with enough followers. Do not be a follower. Be a leader.” I can still hear Sister say those words and it was in sixth grade when I heard them over and over again as she would teach class. You know what sixth graders can be like. Precocious. Trouble makers. Rambunctious. And sheep. Definitely sheep. If one person did something in class and got attention — even negative attention — for it, we all followed suit.
That would be the fodder for Sister’s discussion about becoming leaders instead of becoming sheep. “Just because someone else did something…” was always the beginning of “the talk”. We deserved it, that’s for sure. And, her talk has stuck with me throughout the years.
Just because somebody has done something a certain way does not mean that we should do it as well. Even if what they are doing is right, the way they are accomplishing it might be right for them but not necessarily for us. If we tried to recreate what they did and the way they did it, we might mess everything up.
However, if we go for what they went for, well, now we’re talking. Values, faith, a relationship with the Lord, these are all goals that are important to us. However, each of us reaches them by a different path. What works for one might not work for another. Take a relationship with God as an example. Some might find that deep relationship through prayer. Others might find that relationship through service. Still others in some other fashion or a blending of many ways. The important thing is the goal: that relationship with God.
If you see someone who is doing really good things in the faith, ask that person about what drives him or her. Don’t ask for play by play instructions on how they did what they did. Rather, ask them about what motivates them, about their love for God, about the desired goal. That should fuel your own search and help you set the way that would be best for you.
FAITH ACTION: Set your sight on what is most important to you and then determine what you need to do to achieve it.