Recently, while cleaning up, I found

my grandfather’s obituary. It was neatly folded up in one of my journals and as I picked up, I slid down the wall and read it over and over again. Not to sound totally creepy or anything, but after graduating college, I found myself reading the obituary section in the newspaper. Dare I say it…for hours. It didn’t matter to me that I didn’t know the person, I didn’t care how the person died, what captivated me was what was said about their life.

How many times, at any given point in our childhood or young adulthood were we told: “go to school. graduate. get a good-paying job?” Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with these things, but look around you. Is that all our lives have come to? Is that what we’re allowing our lives to be defined by?

When I read the obituaries, some tell the stories of people who were defined by what they did professionally and when I read others, I read stories of people whose job was only one line in the entire story and the rest of it told the adventure of their life. It told the stories of the love their shared with others, the lives they impacted and how puzzle piece that was their presence in this world fit into God’s puzzle. When I read these stories, I’m reminded just what the dash in between the date we’re born and the date we die represents. It doesn’t matter what we do professionally. It doesn’t matter how many praises we receive from others. All that matters is that we LIVE…that we surrender ourselves to God and allow Him to guide us toward our passion and uses us however He sees fit.

There are so many beautiful people in this world who die before they get a chance to live. I can’t tell you all how many people I know, both young and seasoned, that get into a routine that turns into cycle of complacency because…well it’s comfortable. I know what that’s like because I’ve been there. But…how is that living? There are times where even now I find myself getting too comfortable and that’s when I have to get up and shake it off. Why? Because if I don’t know anything else, I know a life of comfort will kill me silently. Don’t get me wrong, being comfortable can be easy, but think about it…does it make you happy? Is being comfortable really all that you want? Isn’t it about time that we get uncomfortable? Maybe I’m a little crazy, but I want more. I want more for me and more for all of us. I want us to LIVE. I want us to experience the wild and crazy adventure God created us to experience and not settle for anything less. I deserve it. You deserve it. WE ALL DESERVE IT.

Today is the day you start living. So get up. Get out of your own way. Get uncomfortable, go out and make that dash in between count. 🙂