I’ve lived a good, amazing life so far. No matter how many times I’ve said that, I feel like I can never say it enough; I’ve been so unfairly blessed and loved. But, my life is starting to change, change in good ways and change for the better.
Up until now I’ve lived what a lot of people would call an “ordinary” life. I’m under the impression that no life is ordinary, but the society around me would deem what I’ve lived so far to be pretty standard. Sure, I’ve had some unique flairs and amazing events in my life, but as far as the standard passerby is concerned I’m a white male who has grown up in a stable home in the San Francisco suburbs. I never got into trouble, went to college, got a degree and landed a stable job that provided me with more money than I needed.
I’ve never taken any big risks though. I’m not trying to downplay the experiences I’ve had or say that my life has been boring (far from it actually). Nor am I trying to disguise regrets through a blog post. What I am doing though is illustrating that the last 10 years of my life is something that you probably could have predicted after meeting me at the age of 13; I’ve been playing it safe.
I’m done with playing it safe though. After experiencing so much blessings and opportunity every day of my life I have finally reached a point where I realize that the gifts I’ve been given are not just for me, they’re barely for me at all. I love where I’m from and the community I have around me but I have come to a place where I feel overwhelmingly compelled to leave and share what I have with people who haven’t had any of the opportunities I have.
There are millions of people trapped in sex trade and slavery. Hundreds of millions are malnourished, and there are billions (with a b) of people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. I’m determined to do something about it.
That’s why I’m putting myself out there this year, along with 32 other brothers and sisters of mine. I know we don’t have all the solutions, and we sure aren’t trying to be anyone’s knight in shining armor, but we are choosing spend our time to serve and share the gospel in the places where it is needed most. Through the experiences I encounter I’ll be able to learn and re-apply my knowledge in the future so I can have an even more educated view on this world and the problems it faces. I’ll then be even more aware of the opportunities I have to use my life as a blessing to others.
So that’s what I’m doing; laying down the ordinary of my life up until this point so that I can move towards a path of meaningful impact.
And I’m super excited about it.
