Vertical River

I am currently sitting on my balcony in the rain… Luckily I have shelter on my balcony else this blog would probably not be happening. Ill start out by saying it’s winter in Australia, and I am cold. I know 50 degrees isn’t exactly cold by Colorado standards, but for someone who has been in warm weather since January… it is feelin pretty chilly. Not to mention it is midnight… didn’t realize that. Oh well… the show must go on.

So anyway, I am pretty bundled up. I have my shirt… my long sleeve shirt (wannabe hoodie) my warm hoodie, and a jacket over that. Still cold, but I am also wearing possibly the coolest hat known to man. It is a beanie from back home that has crazy cool tassels and flaps over my ears. my head is toasty… maybe not the hands the head is good and comfortable.

I love listening to the sound of the rain. In my opinion, there are few sounds more beautiful or more inspiring than the sound of rain. From the tiniest little trickle of rain, to pouring, drenching, “Big Ol’ Fat Rain”. To me it is just an amazing comfort. As I write this I am talking to a wicked cool friend of mine from Switzerland (Shout out to Arena-nina) and I just so happened to get and itch on my head. SO…… needless to say, I scratched it. and when I did I was BLOWN AWAY.

I lifted up the flap covering my ear and it seemed like I was somewhere else. I had been enjoying the sound of the rain, but I had been missing out on so much of it, by bundling up to keep as warm and comfortable as possible. For me that thought was a catalyst for look into life and a very confronting question that I think really needs to be asked of myself, and to be honest, Everyone:

Where are you getting too comfortable? 

Beyond that, comes more and more questions I feel pulled to answer for myself. Where are you getting complacent? What are you settling for? And more importantly, why?

Is it just me or do we more often than not decide to take the comfortable route? Not to be confused with the easy way out. Comfortable can still be doing the right thing, but at the cost of getting the most out of what you do and the most out of yourself. That could be at work, by not going the extra steps to ensure a client is taken care of beyond their expectations, at school by “collaborating” with other students on your projects, with your friends by letting them make decisions that you know are not to their benefit, with your wife by taking her love and devotion to you for granted, your children, your finances, your future, your present, Your Salvation?

All of these things make up what you call your life. Whether we realize it or not, by getting uncomfortable at work, you can wind up getting a client who will brighten your day and leave an impact on your life because YOU FIRST IMPACTED THEIRS. At school you might miss the topic you could have found a passion for, by settling for less. Your friends might look at you and find inspiration and a helping hand, if you take a stand to be the friend they need, even if its not the one they want right now. If you can believe it, a marriage is the uniting of two lives into one, and a mutual respect, care and devotion to each other will not only bless your life, but can be the change to a whole generation to come. Your Children will reflect on who YOU DECIDE TO BE. What kind of man/woman would they say you are? What is the state of your finances? are you taking care and responsibilty? Could you use more? Where does your future sit? Where are you sitting now? Where is your treasure? where is your eternity?! 

“What we do in life, echoes in eternity!”  

Listen, I am not here to tell you how to live your life, or to bring down conviction… I just know that Tonight I heard the sound of rain, and then when I heard the rain itself. I can’t think of a reason why we should settle for anything less than everything that the world has to offer, and everything that we have to offer the world. But it all starts from within. Invest in yourself:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Matthew 6:21

Pastor Blake Vandemark once said, “A movement will start when a radical generation comes face to face with a radical God.”

Get Uncomfortable. Start a Movement.

J

~ by jnclarks on July 17, 2009.