High-Agency Faith
“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
I know a man in his thirties who keeps wading through life, complaining that nothing special ever happens to him. Sadly, he doesn’t recognize the link between commitment to an inner drive, productivity, and an inspiring life. He bounces from job to job, does the bare minimum, and lazily complains that the world is passing him by. Blaming others, the cosmos, and bad karma will not transform his life.
Thomas Oppong’s article “You’re Gonna Need This Personality Trait Now More Than Ever” offers a path to reclaim one’s life. Oppong claims that a meaningful life is a mindset. “You’re always looking for what is possible.” Life is an action word. But life also requires planning, so your actions are intentional and focused. Oppong describes my struggling friend this way. “To be hapless is to be battered by circumstances-to let the world have its way with you, instead of having your way with the world.” Oppong describes having your way with the world as “high agency.”
A high-agency person is “relentlessly resourceful.” Oppong continues, “High-agency people just figure it out.” High-agency people do not give up the first time a situation gets complicated. High-agency people study, learn, and grow as they seek to understand. Rather than seeking a better situation, high-agency people find ways to take control of circumstances and improve their lives. Oppong warns readers that inaction costs more than trying. He ends his article with a quote from Marcus Aurelius: “What are you afraid of losing, when nothing in the world belongs to you.”
I reframed Thomas Oppong’s article in my mind from a Christian perspective. Throughout the Bible, it describes high-agency people seeking to do God's will. They may not be perfect or properly effective, yet God uses them because they are willing to get up and take action. God has a plan for every one of us. Sadly, too often, well-meaning people sit and wait for God to set up the perfect life scenario. Instead, through prayer and intentional action, trust God to guide your high-agency steps as you carve out a meaningful life. God has a plan for our lives. Our job is to act with God’s guidance. Keep moving forward in faith!
