I am an avid reader. So why not share what I have been reading with everyone. Every other week I hope to give a quick summary of what I am currently reading. I hope you join in!
Work is such a crazy thing. Some people do everything they can to avoid work, while others can’t stop. Smart phones and other technological devices make it easy to work all day, yet distract many from doing their job. This is why I was intrigued to read Garden City by John Mark Comer.
In Garden City, we are given a theological look at humans and our relationship with work. What is it for? Why do we need to do it?
I fully enjoyed reading this book and felt it connects with a wide variety of people. First of all, if you are someone who is lacking passion in what you do and feel like you are called to something entirely different, Garden City provides reason for why you should consider starting over. Secondly, some people are fully invested in what they are passionate about. It our responsibility to become the best we can at our craft in order to serve God and serve others.
The bottom line is that we are each given skills and desires from God. Some are passionate about building things, while others might find their connection in things like writing, cooking, or working with cars. For me, it’s the game of basketball.
Here is a passage that stuck out to me:
“I was brought up in a culture that essentially said, John Mark you can do anything you put your mind to. If you work hard enough, if you believe in yourself, if you’re patient, you can do anything...And it’s not all bad. It gave me the courage to dream and ideate and step out in life.
But it’s also dangerous because, sadly, it’s not true.
I can’t be anything I want to be, no matter how hard I work or how much I believe in myself.
All I can be is me. Who the Creator made John Mark to be.
If we fight the image of God in us - even if we succeed in the short run - it will come back to eat us alive.”
