Are you so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly use?

"You are so heavenly-minded that you are of no earthly use!"
This quote has been quite poignant in the last few weeks. I have discussed it a lot with a few different people, and have so far decided that its pretty spot-on. Even if, at first, it seems a little strange.
Sometimes we strive so much to be heavenly, we forget those around us, and forget to think of their feelings and needs.
The quote goes on to say " Only when you are heavenly minded will you be of any earthly use." which I think is trying to tell us that we need to strike a balance between being in tune with God, and remembering the world which he has placed us in. Because, despite everything, he has put us where we are for a purpose, even if it doesn't always seem clear at the time. He knew what he was doing when he created us.

God placed us here for a reason, with a mission. We are caretakers of his world and the people in it, and that very fact is amazing. We are not mistakes, or the after-effect of a chance decision. Our timing and placement is no accident. But what are we really here for? As a universal gathering of Christians, what is our purpose?
I don't quite know if I clearly have a focus or a grip of what our purpose as a church is. As the Salvation Army, we are called to serve others in love. But do we really do that? Is it out of love, or duty? And is one bound to the other? Can we separate our love for others, from a sense of duty? Doing things just because we feel we should, or because thats what is expected of us. .

Its been playing on my mind that I don't always have time for other people. I think I get so caught up in the busy, working aspect of being part of a church, that I sacrifice other things. I don't always make enough time to listen to people, or to spend time with friends or family. Somehow, I don't think thats what God intends for us. But at the same time, I am selfish with my time. Not making enough time to talk to God. Looking at whether the practical issues in my Christian life are running smoothly rather than thinking about how healthy my spiritual life is in itself.

Its just really gets to me that sometimes, as a christian, I focus on the wrong things. Or sometimes i think that i'm onto a winner and i'm thinking about the right things, but to the detriment of everything else in my life. We can have relationships, and friendships and fun and that doesn't mean we aren't living our lives for God. He wants us to be happy and fulfilled, and to live lives that honour him. That is an amazing aim, to live lives that wholly honour God. And I believe that its achievable. But I don't think God wants us to sacrfice relationships with others to make it happen. He loves us and created us purposefully, and there's a reason he didn't just leave the world with one person on it. But, at the same time I know that doesn't mean we can just do whatever we want, and explain it away by saying that God wouldn't want us to be bored, or on our own! We still need to be aware of the consquences of our actions.
I want my life to be an act of worship, in every single way and that should include my family life, friends, uni...even including the things that don't always seem to be God-focused on the surface. I just think that in some ways I can be so selfish with my time, and my energy. Always inwardly looking at myself and what I need to do, and how to make MY life better for myself and for God. But what about looking to others, and seeing what I can do for them? By no means, will i ever be as selfless as Mother Teresa, or as compassionate as Archbishop Tutu...but there's nothing wrong with giving it a go.

It seems that we need to strike a "healthy balance between living firmly IN this world and living firmly FOR the next world." Simple right?

I'm so aware that I all I ever do is ask questions, and never seem to answer any. Its an affliction, and I'm working on it. :)