Hey guys! I hope you've had a good weekend, and that the quiz season is still going well for you. Regionals and Nationals are coming up quick!! (*slight internal wheezing* LOL) But that's not what I wanted to talk about today :P. What I wanted to talk to you about, has to do with purpose, age, and passiveness vs. activeness, and all of that good stuff. It's gonna be good, so lets jump right in! So I've shared before, about the concept of our lives being like a football game, with four quarters. The way the idea goes, each quarter is 16 years, and then after you reach 64, you're in overtime. So, according to that concept, I am already in the second quarter of my life. We've only got one life on this planet, guys. That's just the simple truth, and I want to live being conscious of that. I don't want to live in ignorant bliss, even if the truth is difficult, and harder to live sometimes. There's no purpose in that. I committed my life to God in the spring of 2015, and just lately He's been challenging me in that commitment, asking me to trust Him further, and follow His lead. Not gonna lie, there's a little bit of a struggle there at the beginning, because there's the ingrained thought that "It's my life," and "I obviously know best"... But I don't! Since I've only got one life, I don't want to waste it by trusting in myself. God knows that I like going fast, running hard, and giving it everything I have. He made me that way - and I forget that sometimes, humorously. But because I know that God has my very best in His mind, and at His heart, I can trust that the things He's asking me to do have a real purpose. I'm not going to get into all of the details, because obviously it's extremely personal - but I've made some decisions recently that could be perceived as scary. But man, God's also been talking to be about courage and bravery. I said this years ago: "Just because something is intimidating, does not mean that I have to be intimidated by it." and I think I'm just starting to learn how to live with that mindset. And to be honest with you, I am so excited about not knowing everything that I'm walking into, as I walk in relationship with Him. Oh my gosh, the vibes are so good. The freedom, and the peace that comes with surrender and choosing to trust. I haven't felt this kind of excitement and still peace in a while. Life is too short to spend more than a split second being afraid. I will not spend another single day of my life in fear. I will not let myself be held back by something intimidating, and I will never give in to a lifestyle of over-cautiousness. I will never not do something, just because I have the opportunity to be afraid instead. And even though I haven't fully overcome every bit of it, I refuse to live my life indulging in anxiety, depression, discouragement, or anything like this. I say indulging, because it has always and always will be a choice. Yes, the fear, and the initial reason for the negative feelings can be real, but EVERY SINGLE time that I've spent time consumed by these things, I clearly remember choosing NOT to ask God for help getting out of it. And you know, having anxiety, depression, or being discouraged, or being sad, isn't abnormal anymore. Having an anxiety attack at work, or tripping over your words as you try to order coffee (believe me) happens EVERY. DAY. Everyone has this stuff. I used to indulge in these things because I felt like people cared more about me, when I dealt with them. I'm being 200% honest with you right now. But the truth is, is that literally everyone is "dealing with it" these days. Everyone. It's not abnormal, it's not unique, it's not special. And that might sound pretty harsh, and I'm not really trying to soften it, because I feel like we have (in general) just rolled over and voluntarily given the enemy a win. We have willingly given the enemy miles and miles of territory, without even the slightest hint of a fight, and we don't have any idea of how dangerous it is. This isn't about feelings, guys, this is about the longevity of our individual health, and relationships with the Father, and the ultimate result of the human race, and who ends up going to heaven for eternity. -and who spends eternity separated from God. This is crazy, absolutely crazy. What would happen, if we stopped rolling over, and put up a fight? What would happen if each of us put our own self-absorbed feelings aside (I'm looking at myself here too), rejected the opportunity to wallow in defeat, anxiety, and depression, and started living victoriously? SO FEW people are really living in victory. But why? There's no reason each of us can't experience that life right now! We only have one life, guys. Just one. Life is so precious, and each day - even though I've wasted many of my own - is genuinely a chance to just dance in relationship with God, and enjoy it. And each day, we have the opportunity to let that relationship overflow, to the point where we're involuntarily making an impact on the people around us. I want to live in such a way that just my showing up at work, or at a quiz, or anywhere else, brings an atmosphere of encouragement through God's love. And one of the first steps towards that dream, is simply rejecting all of those opportunities we have to feel discouraged, depressed, or identify ourselves as being overrun with anxiety. All that doing those things is, for real, is disarming ourselves - and this while we're in the middle of a war-zone. If you disarm yourself willingly, and give your enemy a win, that INSINUATES that your enemy defeats you, and harms you. Why do we do this? Guys, there is SO MUCH MORE to life than we're giving it credit for. And just because we haven't experienced it yet, does not mean it doesn't exist! Deciding that those things are out of the question for me, automatically makes my day 10X better. Deciding that depression, anxiety, discouragement, and a messy, restless mind are not a part of who I am, is the most incredible reality shift. Guys, God doesn't want us to live a life of defeat, and of sadness. His heart for us, is one of incredible joy, peace, and excitement for today and for the future. We're meant to dance through life, not crawl on top of glass until we finally reach the end of it. What a good life it is, when our hearts are held by the Father. All of my dreams, all of my struggles, every thought and feeling. Father God, thank you so much for caring for me. Thank you that you want us to live a life of victory, and that you haven't left us to fight for that by ourselves. Thank you that you're in every moment, in every battle, every single time we need you and your love and compassion. You, reading this now - I pray that God reveals His love for you today, in a new and special and tangible way. He loves you so much more than you know, and more than I or anybody else ever will know.
Thanks so much for reading, and even though I've already said it a few times today - keep quizzing, and keep living victoriously!! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)!! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory |
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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