“I’ll be back!” Turning away, the herculean giant leaves the police station only to return with destructive ferocity, killing officers left-and-right. Can you guess the actor? From the one-liner, you probably know it is Arnold Schwarzenegger. When you see him in this scene, it is clear that he is playing a character with simple and solid vision: to kill the enemy. You may not know, however, that Arnold was a man of vision since age 14 when he decided to become a bodybuilder. Even more surprising, Arnold decided by age 20 that he would not only win the Mr. Universe contest many times, but he would also become a Hollywood star, enter politics, and become a billionaire. As he stands in 2010, he has accomplished the first three and is close to the fourth (his net worth is estimated at only $800 million!). Arnold had a clear vision for his life. Do you?
The disturbing answer for most is ‘No’. In fact, the common life ‘vision’ for most young adults is their career choice. There is no sense of purpose to their lives; rather, it is about what kind of work they will do and how much money they will earn. This with getting married, having 2.5 children, a nice house, and a comfortable retirement. After all, is there really nothing more than the American dream?
Yes there is much more but most have their vision blinded by the media, empty education, and slavery to addiction that entice them to go nowhere in life. It is as if one suddenly awakes to find himself on a train. He sees the countryside passing and other people in the car. He then decides to play games and sleep until the ride ends. Reality is the same: most have no idea from where they came and no clue where the ‘train’ of life is going. Without understanding that we were created to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor in this life and to be eternally happy with God in the next life, it is impossible to have a clear vision for our lives. Life will simple be a rat-race or a treadmill in which we never find fulfillment. The end of life will find us like a bank account that had few deposits and many loans and withdrawals: zero (or even worse).
Our lives do not have to be mediocre or bankrupt. The future begins today and is in our hands. Each of us is called by God to be a leader and this starts with a clear vision: a clear understanding of the purpose and destiny to which God invites us. This is nothing less than to live our lives polarized minute-by-minute in serving, of laying down our lives for God and our neighbor. Arnold was not the only one who said, “I’ll be back!” The original is from Jesus Christ who said, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be (Jn. 14:3).” When he comes, may he find us loving and serving our neighbor in every thought, word, and action. We will then hear the glorious words, “well done good and faithful servant…as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Enter into the joy of your master (Mt 25:21, 40).”
