I have a bucket list. I made the list while in high school and let it sit untouched for years. In all honesty, I didn’t really believe any of the things on my bucket list would come true. Some of the goals on there just seemed too far-fetched; just hanging dreams in the sky that I could never reach. My list included things like: fly in a helicopter, be in a movie, and write a book. Things that would be absolutely amazing, but someone “like me” probably couldn’t accomplish.
What was holding me back from going after my bucket list goals?
Why did these dreams only remain dreams?
I was holding myself back.
I labeled myself as a boring person – someone who wasn’t adventurous, who didn’t challenge herself in experiencing new things. I thought my life existed within this box of comfort and I never pushed myself to try to open the box.
I lived in my small box for years because I knew it well. I knew the four walls that surrounded me. In my box, I was in charge. I didn’t have to rely on anyone for anything I needed, not even God. I was completely independent. I felt fearless.
But then one day, things changed. My box felt smaller. I had my college degree, I had a car, I had a steady job, I had friends and family, I had a good home. I had what many people would deem as a blessed life.
And it was. It still is. I am very blessed. But there was something missing. I wasn’t happy. I just existed in my box, in my life. I didn’t feel like I was living.
God asked me one day, “What do you want?”
I replied, “Well, I would like to get married, have kids, have a good job.”
Again He asked, “What do you want?”
And I answered, “To get married, have kids, have a good job.”
One more time He asked, “What do you want?”
And this time I realized He wanted me to say aloud a dream of mine in my heart. A dream that seemed too big to even speak out loud. I responded, “I want to go on the World Race.”
God then prompted me to apply. Whether I was accepted or not, He encouraged me to take a step of courage, overcome my fear of rejection and apply.
And I did it. I applied, was accepted, and now I’m currently in Thailand learning what it means to follow the Lord as a lifestyle.
And you know the funniest, most ironic, part of this? I looked at my bucket list from high school a month ago and saw the World Race on it. I had added this dream 8 years ago and I’m living it!
So, what’s on your bucket list? I encourage you to look at your list, or make one, and today start making plans to accomplish one of your goals. Go after your dreams! I believe that the Lord gives us incredible dreams, and the more “impossible” they seem, the better, because that means we get to rely on God all the more.
Put things on your bucket list that scare you. On mine, I have bungee jumping. BUNGEE JUMPING. Y’all, I hate heights. A lot. I still get shaky on a ladder that only has seven steps. I can’t imagine myself doing this, but it’s on my list because I want to never let my fears hold me back.
For me, I’m burning the box I once existed in. I am running after my dreams with endurance and my bucket list will no longer just be a list – it will be memories made.
“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” –Judy Blume
