The World’s Most Wanted

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

–Howard Thurman

I am writing to myself today. I am also writing to my children and their children to come. This is not a suicide note, it is my personal wake up call. Of the recent past, I have found myself asking myself this question:

What on earth am I doing here?

I think this question is normal. Tragically, I think fewer and fewer people as asking it. The question in itself is one of the major triggers of personal revolution.

This all important questions stems out of two things:

1. Knowledge  and deep desire of ‘where one needs to be’
2. A Holy Discontentment for the knowledge of ‘being out of place’.

Three Scenarios

“Here” is not necessarily my geographical location. However, in some cases, the question above is valid in relation to where I am physically. I asked myself that question some decades back when I was stuck and languishing in the Village…a geographical location that a person of my caliber did not need to be at that time.

“Here” could as well represent a task, vocation, assignment or job that one is engaged in at the moment.

Finally, “here” could ultimately mean my presence on earth. In other words, when I ask myself, “What on earth am I doing here?”, I definitely am hungry about my assignment on earth.

If you combined these three instances and you found that there is a discontentment, we have a major problem. That is if I am physically in a place I don’t want to be, doing what I don’t want to do (because I think I have to), contributing nothing to what I am purposed to do (largely never exploiting my innate gifts and potential), it is time to stop the traffic and formulate an escape route –as fast as possible.

Can you think of one place that defines the above? It’s a prison. The worst thing about it is that it is unlike the traditional prison…because there is an element of not being incarcerated…but voluntarily living there.

On the other hand, if you combine these three instances and there is a problem and I am either indifferent or overwhelmed, then the problem has been compounded to unimaginable proportions.

The world needs me. That’s why I am still alive.

At birth, I am a product of intent, a creature of divine purpose, gifted, talented and fully meant to function in the world making a difference. This applies to the 7 Billion of us alive today.

To the madman in the market,

The drug addict in the alleys,

The student with bad grades,

Those without parents,

The youth lost in parties,

The Billions without employment….

I could be looking ‘out there’ to the world to help me…but the truth is at birth, nay, before birth, I was meant to serve the world with my gifts, talents and purpose with all the opportunities that come my way.

In short, I am the most wanted person on earth.

I will only cease being the most wanted:

• When I daily live a life of intentionality,
• When I am physically where I want to be and was meant to be,
• When I am daily doing what I must and love to do,
• When I am more of a giver,
• When I am positively making a difference
• When I am living daily outside my comfort zones
• When I daily take risks in exploiting my potential
• When I no longer ask: “What on earth am I doing here?”

One final thought: There is purpose…but then there is a path towards it. Either I am on the path or I have arrived…and like Nelson Mandela said, he’s had a long walk to freedom but the journey continues…

Selah.