As I mentioned last week, I’ve been reading Be You. Do Good., by Jonathan David Golden. I meant it when I said it’s been a fabulous read. The stories Golden tells about his work in Rwanda and the positive change that his company is bringing about in the lives of hundreds of people around the world are inspiring and thought-provoking.
This book is far from a “find your perfect life in three easy steps” manual. Golden begins Be You. Do Good. by challenging a few basic assumptions about “calling”, and closes by proposing that while at its heart a person’s calling will likely stay the same throughout most of his/her life, the way it will play out in different seasons may change. He suggests (and I think rightly so) that the key to understanding our purpose in life has far less to do with what we do than with who we are. Learning to pay attention to the moments when we feel most alive, then, becomes key to understanding our callings.
Golden writes openly and honestly about both his successes and failures and invites his readers to reflect on their own lives and what they can learn from their experiences. He encourages us to remember that a calling is worked out one day at a time, and that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant things matter. You never know – what you may see as just a simple conversation could actually be a watershed moment in the life of the person you’re talking to. Learning to listen for God’s voice and to be completely our authentic selves will help us recognize the opportunities before us to effect positive change in the ways we were created to by design.
Golden poses several questions throughout the book that can help spark the kind of self-reflection necessary to understanding how “being you” will help you “do good” in every season of your life. If you’re looking for direction, Be You. Do Good. will give you some valuable pointers, suggest better questions, and encourage you along the way.
