Time To Change

Time To Change

Too many of us spend years of our lives reading the same page of our story over and over, wondering why nothing ever changes.

We refrain from rocking the boat because when we do, we get wet and sometimes fall into the ocean, where we get beaten by the waves.

The waves can make life harder, but they can’t kill you until God says you are done.

I spoke at a conference in Eugene yesterday about life changes and why it’s so important to write a larger-than-life story.

You and I are co-authoring our life story with God.

He sets up the production but gives us free will to work out the details.

We have choices about how we live, how much adventure we’d like to include.

God is like the best editor in the world.

He’ll bring new chapters, new adventures, and new ideas into the mix, but it’s up to us to invite them in.

As we learn to write a better story, we develop characters to make our story more interesting and, in doing so, truly live.

We come alive.

The world uses culture to brighten or dim our creative ability.

Fear is destructive to a good story.

So is safety.

I get comments from people who, in a negative tone, tell me I’ve changed.

I laugh and wish to thank them because I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and be the same person I was yesterday.

I will leave that to them.

I was in Eugene and Springfield the past couple of days and got plenty of reminders of how much I’ve changed.

People are so kind to Kathy and me.

We struck up many conversations with friends and strangers, thanking us for living out loud and calling out the darkness.

Oregon is much more purple than it is blue anymore, which is refreshing to see.

There are things we miss about Oregon.

But we also understand, this is not our home anymore.

Do not fight change; embrace it.

Don’t allow your past or fears to keep you from pushing forward.

When darkness chases you, don’t run; face it head-on because no good story has the characters the same at the end as they were in the beginning.

This is your story; it would be a shame to waste it because you are afraid of what people might say.

We get one story, you and I, why not live it out loud, with great passion, until you take your last breath.

Maybe it’s time to change.

Turn the page and dream big, and start writing.