Thursday, October 10, 2013

remarkable






Our family spent 2 hours at a large specialty gift shop near our home recently, and I seriously couldn't get enough of the quotes. Painted on wood, printed on paper, stitched on a shirt. I'm a sucker for good sayings--the deep, simple, profound ones that go straight to your soul. Mostly because they contain nuggets of truth that often get overlooked.

When I read, "how will you choose to live your one remarkable story?" I got all teary-eyed. Maybe because I don't feel like I have a remarkable story. I feel ordinary and normal and run-of-the-mill. I have four kids. I'm married. With a mortgage. In the suburbs. My life feels ordinary and uneventful and everything the opposite of remarkable. Don't get me wrong--I am thankful. Very grateful for a healthy, blessed life.

And yet...I am restless. Something turns inside of me, craving more than normal. More than standard.

If we were created by God, in His image, what does that mean? Is God anything less than remarkable? If God created butterflies, mountains and stars, then He is more than remarkable, He is unfathomable. Vastly creative. Immensely huge.

And if we're here, living on earth, I'm starting to believe that He has a remarkable story mapped out for each of us, a specific purpose and reason for our lives. More than just laundry and dishes, glory hallelujah.

Think about that: we all have a remarkable story to live. All created for something great. Purpose. Amazingness. Our lives are meant for beauty, to reflect the grace and beauty of our Creator. 

We get one shot at life, one chance at making our life count. And that one chance is made up of a million tiny choices. 

We get to choose. 

We get to choose joy, choose happiness, choose chasing down our dreams and the God who put them there. But the vastness and responsibility of choice can paralyze and cripple me into stillness and stagnancy. 

It’s easy to choose to brush my teeth, or choose to do the dishes. 

But it’s harder to choose potential world-rocking things. Harder to choose remarkable things. 

Going on that missions trip. 

Talking to that person about faith. 

Writing a blog for the world to see. 

Saying yes to a speaking gig. 

Taking in that foster kid. 

And remarkable things don't have to be BIG things. There are lots of small, super significant choices that matter, too. 

Forgiving that friend. 

Making meals for a new mom.

Carving out time for an aging grandparent.

Really listening to your daughter's middle school woes.

Pursuing people who appear lonely and distant.

Loving those that are hard to love.

Let's live remarkably, friends. Whether you're called to speak boldly in front of a crowd, or whisper encouragement into the hearts of the broken, let's step out and start living the lives we were made for. Let us be people that don't shrink away from hard things, but embrace the challenge.

We are all created for purpose and beauty and remarkable-ness. As we seek the heart of Jesus, may we understand our unique calling, and let's run after it with all we've got.

What do you think? What does living remarkably look like to you?