When to help others and when to have fun?

[LoveBiotic]

After many years of being a "non believer" I lately feel a strong pull to god.
Specifically Christianity. I am working on bettering myself and I would really like to be a servant of god and pray that he leads me in the right direction.

I find myself questioning a few things lately though.

I have always had this dream of living somewhere perfect.
Somewhere with the cleanest air, organically grown food, beautiful scenery. (Tasmania, Hawaii)
I then thought to myself. Why am I seeking this perfect place?
Is this selfish of me to be so focused on finding perfection for myself?
I feel as if I should stop focusing on this perfection and let god guide me to where I need to be.

My next thing is. When to enjoy yourself and when to help others.
I often find myself wondering If the the things I am doing are okay.
As I am out playing sports, or at the bar having a beer with my friends I often wonder if I should be doing charity work or Instead of buying that 5 dollar beer giving that 5 dollars to a homeless man. I would love to enjoy myself but I constantly wonder if it is "ok" to have fun and spend money and take time out to go on vacation with my friends and family.

Sorry if my this seems like a rambling rant.

When to enjoy oneself and when to help others?

I need Gods Guidance.

Thank You

 

[Andry]

Welcome to CF!

One of my favourite quotes is from E.B. White:

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

IMHO, oftentimes we as believers get so caught up trying to receive the blessings of God - not just materially, but in our pursuit of him and holiness - that we forget to be benevolent towards others.

I believe when we find our purpose and calling in life, the desire to enjoy and the desire to improve the world are not mutually exclusive; IOW, they intersect.

 

[dayhiker]

Hi, welcome to CF.

That desire to be perfect is an interesting one. I personally don't have it, but I've watched friends with it. From my perspective the desire to be perfect would cause a lot of tension in me.

As for buying a beer of giving the 5 dollars ... buying the beer does give someone a job. If too many people stopped buying beers or what ever, it would put a person out of work. Still good to help the homeless.

 

[SistrNChrist]

As to your question about when to have fun and when to do good works, you need to have a balance and not lean too much toward either extreme. I'm not going to deny that leading people to Christ, helping the homeless, etc. are all good things, but if you go too far in that extreme, you'll burn out and eventually won't be much use to the people you want to help. Not to mention the fact that sometimes, the best witnessing opportunities come up when you're having fun with people who are non believers. In my own life, I didn't get saved at a church service or an outreach, but it came from a simple movie night with my aunt and her friends from her church, and I have friends who came to know Jesus at a coffee shop event that my church would put on. In summary, the healthiest thing to do would be to find that balance between doing good works and having fun.

 

[chapmic]

It sounds like you are dreaming about Heaven, nothing wrong with that and you can get there. There is nothing wrong with hanging out sometimes, its all about moderation. If you hang out too much, you will feel unfulfilled but if you do charity work all the time and constantly giving to others you will be burnt out. You just have to figure out a balance. God bless you!

 

[MWood]

Doing good works for Christ is your witness. Being a good Ambassador for Christ. You can do this in your everyday routine, and still have that cold beer, enjoy time with your friends. You don't have to separate the two. Just keep God in the forefront of your mind in all that you do. Its simple really, not complicated at all. God wants us to enjoy our life while being a good ambassador. Wouldn't you think?