My generation has succumbed to this “give up” attitude. The kind of attitude that if you try and don’t succeed you might as well quit before you become an embarrassment. The kind of attitude where good enough is acceptable. Today I am here to tell you that this way of life is no life at all. How can you truly be alive if you’re not failing and trying and striving to live above the fog? I guess if your life is consumed by the Facebook timeline you’re assuming that everyone else’s life must be a little bit better and you’re probably right, because if you’re sitting behind a screen comparing what you do or don’t have, you’re not living the life you have at all.
The give up attitude plus the comparison game multiplied by the fact that we seem to somehow find pity parties acceptable, all aid in disabling your ability to inspire. I mean, let’s face it. We are here for a reason, we were made with a purpose, so whether it be 1 person or 10 million, we should be making some type of positive impact. And then something bad happens. Something out of the blue, unexpected, complete and utter disaster; a TRAGEDY. And you have choices. You can choose to just give up or you can choose to rise. One is easier than the other, but the outcome for one is always greater. You see, when you choose to fight, to stand up, to live above the fog; you are not only doing it for yourself but you are doing it for others.
Horatio Spafford did it after his business was financially ruined because of the Great Chicago Fire and then shortly after, he experienced the loss of his 4 daughters when the ship they were on sank. You might have heard a song he wrote “It Is Well” which was written shortly after such devastation. Bethany Hamilton did it after she survived a shark attack and lost her arm, but went on to be one of the most successful professional and inspirational surfers of our time. Meagan Flaherty is doing it now as she daily fights the leukemia she was diagnosed with just over a year ago; always holding on to constant faith meshed with consistent optimism, hope, and joy.
You see, each of these people reflect what living is all about. They know what it takes to truly live above the fog and in the end, their love is big because when you choose to be alive in you’re living, you give others the freedom to do so as well and that’s a love that can only be given unconditionally. A cross-like love. I’m sure you are thinking to yourself “hey ______ does this” but I hope you realize that you can be doing it too.
So today, as you think about the things you’ve been through, as you remember the misfortunes, hardships, or trials you’ve experienced, and as you stand at a crossroads of choosing to buy into the pain or to confront it; know that it’s time to live. We each have two choices in life. So what will you accomplish amidst the tragedy and what were you born to do? I’m rooting for you and I know there are others who are rooting for you as well.
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