Soul on Fire

So you know that I'm a huge goal setter. I blogged just a little while ago about New Years Resolutions and setting big goals for yourself! And then I even vlogged about it.

I'm all about it.

Well, shortly after I blogged and vlogged, Michele G. Miller posted a meme on her Instagram. And you guys, it was like finding a burning bush in the wilderness. Or maybe something less dramatic. But it spoke to me in a serious way.

You know how you can hear things a million times, but they mean nothing until you're exactly ready to hear them? And then it's like BAM! Epiphany!!

Have you ever had that happen??

Well, this happened to me with Michele's post. Here it is...



Even now those words move something inside me! It's such a beautiful sentiment. It demands something from us while at the same time giving something to us, right?

It's saying, DO SOMETHING!!!! At the same time it's screaming, DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE!!!!

I need that.

I need to be reminded of that.

Sometimes I get so lost in my life and tangled in the clutter that I forget that I'm not called to chaos and confusion. I'm not meant to drown in the busyness of daily monotony or suffer the gray colorlessness of a life without purpose. It's easy to get stuck in my daily to do lists or focus only on the small space of road ahead of me as I taxi my children from one activity to the next.

But life is supposed to be more than that. Life is supposed to mean something. We are supposed to mean something.

If you're like me though, you've got a lot going on! I don't have time to get my hair done, let alone figure out how to turn my life into a legacy. It's great to talk about change and doing something meaningful and wishing and hoping and crossing our fingers, but what about action? Or time? Or how much coffee is it going to take to get me into real pants and out of the house???

Every year I set goals and sometimes I even meet them. And until I read that meme, that was enough for me. I was content to cross things off my practical lists and move forward with an evenly-tempo-ed march. But then the meme changed everything.

I read, do more of what lights your soul on fire, and I was forced to lift my head from the rat race of my life and take note. I couldn't ignore that feeling inside me that said I needed to reevaluate what I'm doing with my time. Is my life filled with things that set me on fire? That fill me up so completely I burst to life and blaze as bright as a star???

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. In fact, I was happy to note that there were large parts of my life that I could say yes to. I love my job. Love love love it. It's my dream job and every day I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to work at it.

I feel the same way about my family. And about my friends.

But then I read the meme again. "Do MORE of what lights your soul on fire."

That makes a difference, doesn't it?

We can argue that spreading my time too thin will overwhelm me and exhaust me and I don't have the time for it and on and on and on.

Except that if I really follow this thought train through, then I'm not filling my life with things that will drain me or tire me or wear me down. These things that I'm adding to my life are going to LIGHT ME ON FIRE!

How cool is that?!?!?!

I don't have to be afraid of what's to come because I already know I'm going to choose things I love. I don't have to dread how I'm spending my time, because I already know I'm going to be excited for it and anxious for it and not want it to end.

And I don't have to complain about it, because I'm going to be exclusive in what I choose, and careful in what I pick.

That's exciting, right?? I'm adding to my life, not taking away from it.

So I did a little soul searching. What am I missing? What do I want to do but I'm afraid to try? Where do I want to be in five years? Ten? How do I get there? How do I add value to my life instead of collecting tasks that will take it away?

Then I found this meme...    
 
Similar right?? But more. Be Fearless. Be Fearless in the Pursuit of What Sets your Soul on Fire.

Oh, my gosh! It gives me goosebumps!!! I'm the kind of girl that's afraid of everything. I'm afraid of failure and rejection and spiders and the recycled air on airplanes. Fear can cripple me. Fear can ruin everything so quickly.

And yet, I love that thought. I love the idea of being fearless.

And so I set out on this journey. I'm blogging more. Because you know what?? I love blogging. I'm going to church more. Because you know what??? Jesus sets my soul on fire. I'm spending more focused time with my kids and my husband and writing a book with a dear friend of mine. I'm blogging for my local newspaper. (You can check out my first article HERE!!!) I'm teaching a Bible study and looking for speaking opportunities. I'm mentoring aspiring authors and reading more nonfiction.

You know what I'm not doing??? I'm not checking my author rankings daily or reading books just to finish them. I'm not worrying about little things that steal my joy and ruin my days. I'm not worrying about where I'll be in five years or ten years. Instead, I'm choosing to enjoy the journey that gets me there. I'm saying no to commitments that don't have my whole heart and activities that drain me of energy. I'm learning to panic less and love more. Freak out less and enjoy more.

I'm learning to become fearless.

I'm letting my life set my soul on fire.

And my hope is that you are already doing this. My hope is that I'm embarrassingly behind the curve with this one. My hope is that your life is filled with fire and fearlessness and things that you love.

And if not??? Then I hope that changes. And fast.

Because life is way too short to spend it doing things you hate. You only have one life. But you also only have one soul. It deserves to be set on fire. It's your gift to the world.

Light it up and let it blaze.




Rachel

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1 comment:

  1. Yaaassss! My motto is #firewithin
    I love this post, Rachel. I love your fire to do more and to become fearless in your pursuit of it all.
    It's not where you end up that matters, it's how you got there. Living life with passion and fire is so important, isn't it?
    Here's to lighting it up in 2016!

    ReplyDelete