You Don’t Want To Be Necessary; Just Needed
Here's a very interesting post by David Foster. I think most of us, me included think that being necessary is a good thing. Maybe not.
Everyone I meet is searching for a reason to get up every day. They want meaning in their life. And on that journey of discovery, let me give you a distinction that has helped me. The distinction between being necessary and being needed is huge. One is healthy; the other, toxic.
Too many people have mistaken being needed and being necessary as the same thing, but they are not. Things that are necessary are ubiquitous, often times bland. Here’s what I mean. Water is necessary. Water comes from many different sources, and then it has to come constantly. I need it to bathe, to drink, to cook, or to create. Wherever I am, I need water. Water can’t rest. It’s always in waiting. It’s always pushing against the pressure of the tap to come out. And when I open the tap, I want it there. That’s what necessary is.
Necessary is always ready, under pressure, waiting to be released. And those who consume it aren’t really appreciative of it until it’s denied. Being necessary like water, leads to a harried lifestyle: no joy, you’re always on, always drained, always moving, always in a bad hurry but never in a good busy.
Needed, on the other hand, is like a fine wine. It has water in it, but it adds so much more. It’s been grown, aged, and given lots of care. You can’t consume it all the time, or it will destroy you. But on special occasions, to mark the moments of life, it’s a beautiful thing; such a beautiful thing that Jesus chose it as his first miracle – to turn water into wine.
So, necessary like water or needed like wine: which are you? One is healthy; the other is toxic. We can’t do without water. That’s why we often mistake this same reality for what we want. We don’t want to be water; always needed, under pressure, and never appreciated. We want to be like fine wine; something that’s grown with care and takes time, and it presents itself at those high moments.
So which are you; needed, or necessary?
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