I Want One

A man and a woman stand on the shoulder of a remote highway. They have just escaped from an underground city they have been living in since “birth.” They have never seen the real world. Someone buzzes by them on a high performance motorcycle. The woman says to the man “what was that thing?” He responds “I don’t know...” his face breaks into a broad smile, “...but I want one.”

That is one of my favorite lines in the move “The Island.” The man and woman were clones of people who lived in “the real world.” They did not know it, but they were genetically identical to people in a society that they didn’t even know existed. The man was a clone of a wildly successful designer and racer of sport bikes, high performance boats and sports cars. The clone had “built in” to his DNA a predisposition towards these passions and skills. He had actually had been having dreams about “Renovatti” a high performance sport boat the designer had created. This clone didn’t know why, but he was passionate about these things that were programmed into his DNA. In another scene, before escaping and learning of the outside world, he states "I wish there were something more."

I believe that God has built into us, into our “DNA” a set of unique skills and desires. Until we start pursuing them according to His plan, we feel that “something is missing,” we wish there was "something more." The most basic yearning we have is to have a relationship with Him. To get to know Him. He put knowledge of Him in everyone’s heart, Romans 1:19-20, Psalm 19:1-4.

I believe He also gave each of us something unique that “floats our boat.” I don’t know that many people figure out what that is. I believe the ones that do figure it out are much more satisfied and successful than the average individual.

I personally have always had a very strong drive to do “something,” to fulfill some “special purpose.” I didn’t know what it was, but I wanted one. I realize that we are all called to love God, love others, serve Him, grow as disciples, etc. What I am talking about is all that, plus performing the specific tasks that He has planned for me in advance, Ephesians 2:10.

He has built desires and skills into my “DNA.” I am aware of some of these, maybe not all. I am also aware that some of these “designed in” characteristics have been hi-jacked, or distorted, so they are not effective and maybe actually destructive to the purpose He has planned for me. I have always had a strong “drive” but quite honestly I am not always certain of what I am driving at.

Does this resonate with anyone else? Or do most people feel pretty satisfied just going about business as usual? I would like to know.

More on this later, in the posts “This Faith Thing” and “Desires of Which Heart?”