Opinion
What do I want, what I really, really want?
Jane Walters suggests we allow our imaginations to run riot as we speculate as to how we would spend a fortune.
Have you ever played this fun game? You’re sitting round with a group of friends, usually rather later in the night than anyone intended, and someone asks the thought-provoking question: What would you do if you won the lottery? I wonder if your heart leapt a little at the prospect. Perhaps, in true Christian piety, you might be thinking of all the charitable purposes it could be used for: all The Good you could do. (Or perhaps you are suddenly shame-faced, as you admit to yourself that your thoughts had gone straight to buying your own island somewhere hot and sunny…)
I actually won the lottery once. A heart-thumping experience of matching 5 balls one dismal October Saturday night. Surely I must have won a fortune? The village shop owner disabused me of my fantasy: the prize was a not-so-life-changing £66. Serves me right for buying the jolly ticket in the first place.
My real reason for asking the question, though, is how it comes up in my writing retreats. If you won the lottery, thereby releasing you from the bore of earning a living, paying the mortgage and whatever else, what would you be free to do with your time instead? What would you actually want to do?
Since we’re only talking hypothetically, our imaginations can take flight, and the answers tend to revolve around creativity. For me personally, well I would always have replied, ‘writing’. Freed from financial and work responsibility, I could indulge in sitting at my desk for hours on end, with no reason not to. How would you reply? Would it involve travel and adventure, perhaps on mission, or pursuing a hobby? It’s an interesting thought to try out sometime.
What lies at the core of all this, though, is the importance of listening to our hearts. Yes, I know they can be fickle things, but I know of no better ‘barometer’ than taking notice of how we are feeling over a particular issue or situation. If you find yourself doing something resentfully (dare I say, even in church?) then your heart is trying to tell you it’s not happy. If you feel unexpectedly sad, or energised, tune into why that might be. God has a wonderful way of speaking to us through our hearts, and it doesn’t cost a penny.
Ask yourself: what do I really want from life? What fortune do we need other than knowing that we’re in His will, the desires of our hearts satisfied?
The top image is courtesy of Dee from pixabay.com
Jane Walters is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and loves to champion writers of all ages and stages. She leads Green Pastures Christian Writers (currently meeting on Zoom) and creative writing retreats at Quiet Waters. Find out more: www.janewyattwalters.com or @readywritersretreats on Instagram.
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