Who will you live for?

That was the central question of a church event I attended with a few Ugandan friends who were kind enough to invite me along. Although I am constantly disturbed by the permeation of religious missionary ideas in Ugandan society, the event was fascinating to witness.

The question, "who will you live for?" is an interesting one. If you asked the pastor at this event, there are only two answers: Jesus or yourself. Clearly only one of these answers is "right." But I found the dichotomy so interesting because certainly I do NOT live for Jesus or any other religious entity for that matter, but the alternative... living for yourself, that's pretty cheap, isn't it?

Sometimes I do live for myself. I live for the next adventure, the next feeling of total freedom. I live for the next time I laugh until my body hurts, or the next time I am offered approval from someone I respect or admire. I live for an awesome conversation with a friend, or feeling connected to the world around me. I'm not sure any of these things are inherently bad. I cannot see the world in terms of black and white. My world is so gray. Almost anything can be justified with the right intentions.

So, who do I live for? I think a better question is what do I live for. Aside from adventure, freedom, laughter, approval, and connection (all amazing things, in my opinion), I live for justice. I live for the causes that keep me so engaged that I can't sleep or breath until I learn, read, or write more. I want to live for the benefit of humanity, but to be fair, I don't always know how to do that.

So many things about Uganda confuse and intrigue me, but the religious piece is especially complex. I wonder, who is so invested in making sure that these young Ugandans live for Jesus? Why can't someone be that invested in making sure people live for social justice, peace, or equality? Why can't someone be that invested in making sure Ugandans have access to health care or education or economic opportunities? Ultimately, wouldn't that make the world a better, fairer place?