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Centered

7/18/2014

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Picture
Every once in a while, I feel the urge to hit the open road. A man and his thoughts... and maybe his music. I used to ride around all night or at least for a few hours. Maybe to clear my head, maybe in an attempt at clarity or in an attempt to escape the rat race. Dissatisfied with Life and completely oblivious that I already knew the Answer to my questions. Living a life without Joy, I was searching for happiness in things, in the American Dream.

Trapped in a prison of my own doing I was suffocating on the fumes of the lies I had believed and bought into. That happiness could be found in possessions and people, instead of a Person. I searched high and low in the usual places and in a religion that only served to make me more unhappy by its rules and conformity. Everything inside of me lashed out and the silent rage would not be silenced. In the madness, I became obsessed with getting to the root of the problem and solving the mystery to which I had no clues. My beliefs were still being shaped and I was letting go of the ones I had been conditioned to slowly.

If we are all honest, we can say that the mundane things of life, from the commute to the 9 to 5, the endless paperwork, the laundry that piles up, the dirty diapers, the line at Walmart, the scraps of time left over for the family at the end of the day, all lead us to live our lives without passion. Even though everything is a blessing, we do not always view them that way. Our souls cry out for more, for happiness, an adventurous life, a partner to dance with, a hand to hold, a loved one's health to come back. To hop in the car and just drive as far as we can go. Quite honestly, we want more Life in our life. More pep in our step, a dream to chase after, an epic movie role, a vacation from the life we have. This may be why we daydream. In our heads, we think of what we should have said to the boss belittling us. The quest that the family should be on. The chance at a love that got away.

Everyday is a gift you've been given, make the most of the time, every minute you're living.
- Life Means So Much, Chris Rice

Many of us live as if our everyday is boring and monotonous and we have convinced ourselves that it is true. That it is not what we are called to do and while this may be true for some of us, a lot of us just need to take the moments that come and view them through a new lens. We do only get one life and many of us our doing what we have been gifted to do. Maybe a portion of us are not and we should be abandoning this present life for a better one.

To live our lives with the drive and passion that we crave within, we must all turn to the One who designed us and gifted us with our talents and traits. We do not know our true selves until we know the True One who Loves beyond measure. Ultimately, He wants us to live our lives for His Glory, . He knows what He has called us out to do and, as we pursue Him, He reveals to us our gifts and talents; which, upon using, we can become completely satisfied. He wants us to be happy and full of joy, but apart from Him and His plans for us, we cannot be. Yes, there are moments of happiness when things have lined up just right for us. But happiness cannot be dependent on a certain situation or circumstance always going our way. We would become cynical and completely dissatisfied and utterly hopeless trying to rely on everything always going our way.

​We can seek and search but will never find the inescapable Peace and satisfaction of Life without Him. If we seek Him with our whole heart and take delight in Him, we will find the Life we've been missing out on. The freedom that comes from a surrendered heart, bowing to His will so that we can outlive the life we've created and exchange it for one beyond our imagination and wildest dreams. If you have not met this Author of your life, I hope you do. His very nature is Love, His purpose for your life is to work everything, (every situation, every circumstance and event), for your good to make you into the new creation He has longed for. I hope you meet Him.

I still like to get out and drive and there are days when I would trade my day job for a day at the mountains or a waterfall somewhere. But I have enjoyed those things before and so my memories of those times can hold me for now. The everyday is only passionless if I let it become so. With a full heart that has found Love, I can put one foot in front of the other and Keep Walking. His ways are higher and better than mine and I know I can trust Him with the as yet unfolded chapters of my life. Many religions talk about balance and I think they are onto something, but the balance that I have found, is that Life works best with the Storyteller still writing it and me not trying to grab the pen away from Him.


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