I recently attended a conference with a lot of young, driven, smart, faith-driven entrepreneurs. From time to time, someone in this group asks me how they can best make a difference in this world. They usually have a great job, but they don’t feel like they are really contributing to the world. In their minds, their faith isn’t being fully expressed through their work. At the core of their question is something more specific: they wonder if they should quit their jobs, move to a developing region of the world, and serve the poor.
I’ll be honest – sometimes I just want to slap them when I hear this. I’ll explain why.
I realize there are a lot of right answers. Some people probably should “sell it all and give it to the poor.” I know lots of people who have done this and I admire them.
Still, most probably should not take that approach.
How to know which is right for you? In my experience, how we answer the question has to be informed by how we engage the world.
We know that God loves the world. Everything. People, nature, art, Ted Lasso. All of it. Well, not Pinot Noir, but everything else. We are called to do the same.
But we are warned not to fall in love with the temptations of the world. Curiously, one might say dangerously, we sometime confuse temptations with love.
See, sometimes temptations don’t look wrong at all. They look like the right thing to do. That’s why the temptation to sell it all and serve the poor is so powerful. It seems so right, so selfless, so helpful.
And it can be. But it can also be a sneaky temptation that sends us spiraling down. Just as bad, it can hurt others.
Selling it all to give to the poor can be motivated by selfishness. By wanting to be cool. By wanting an adventure. By trying to get our head straight by walking away from the rat race.
We think we are loving the world. In truth, we are loving a temptation. Knowing one from the other is harder than we think.
So next time you think your motivations are altruistic and loving, hit pause and be sure.