Meet Gus. Gus was a successful businessman, high up in the corporate world. While he achieved success, his work required him to spend most of his time on the road, away from his family. He continually felt a nagging feeling that he wasn’t really where God wanted him to be and sensed that God wanted more from his life than a climb up the corporate ladder. One night, in a hotel room in Chicago, Gus laid awake, unable to sleep. At 4am, he decided to turn on the radio. Gus heard Matthew West’s song “The Motions” playing on the hotel radio.
I don’t wanna go through the motions,
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming
Passion inside of me.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking –
‘What if I had given everything?’
Instead of going through the motions.
As he listened to those words, he felt it summed up exactly what he was doing in his life. He was just going through the motions. As the song neared its end, he thought, “Man, I need to hear that song one more time. I need to remember those lyrics.” Just then, the DJ came back on the air and said, “I don’t normally do this, but I feel like there is someone who needs to hear this song again.” By this point, Gus was sitting up in his hotel bed, fairly sure that God was trying to get his attention. As he listened, his heart began to race. So, he made a deal with God and said, “God, if this song plays a third time, I will write my letter of resignation and follow your plan for my life instead of my own.” Secretly, Gus thought this deal would get him off the hook. Who ever heard a song play on the radio three times in a row?
Then, the DJ said, “I’ll probably lose my job for this, but I just feel like I must play this song again.” Gus immediately walked over to the desk in his hotel room and wrote out a letter of resignation. Gus paid attention to God’s calling and his life was radically changed for the better. He took some risks and stepped outside of his comfort zone. Today, Gus serves as a minister of a church, living right in the middle of where God wants him.
