Living Life Intentionally & Authentically

Purely random acts of kindness remind me of the good in the world. Today especially, I see so much hatred, violence, and shaming going on in the world. They are things like natural disasters, such as the Houston flooding and California fires, and gun violence like the Las Vegas mass shooting or school shooting happening here and there. Plus, we all need to wake up and realize that climate change is a beyond real thing. I live in Texas, and for the majority of the fall and winter it has been 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is getting warmer each year. Global warming exists. Anyways, let’s put that raging passion of a tangent aside. There seems to be something going on everywhere we turn, something going wrong on the news. Some of the explanation of what is happening is sin. That does not excuse us to act wrongly and it be okay just because we naturally sin and are imperfect. Rather, I believe it calls us to mirror our lives after Christ. We need to display compassion when there is judgment. We need to speak out when everyone else just stands by. We need to accept rather than deny. It is so easy to do the wrong thing. The right choice often times is the hardest choice. What I’ve learned from life so far is that by taking the more difficult path, it pays off. When we cut corners, it often shows up in the end result. God created us to be beings of love. That is the basis of the His Word. I’m not trying to convert you into a Christian by any means. I don’t want to be one of those Bible beaters, forcing you to believe in God. I just want to show you what I believe in. We all have the right to believe in what we want- whether that be Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, etc. If you do not believe in a religion, that is completely okay too. I’m just saying that with my identification of religion as Christianity, it has helped me live a life with a sense of purpose. It has shown me that love is the greatest action we can display. It is the root of all good. I think that whatever religion or non-religion you may or may not believe in, we as people can agree that love helps, restores, protects, and guides.

I see genuine love in those random acts of kindness that I was talking about. Let me give you some examples that I have had in my life that seem extremely minuscule but have meant the most to me. They have left an imprint on my heart and mind. One day, I was in a rush to get to group therapy back in September. I stopped by Chick-fil-A to grab dinner really quick. The workers there are always the sweetest (that and Starbucks). Anyways, I ordered and was about to pull away to the drive-thru window, but the worker told me that I had a beautiful smile. I don’t know why, but that truly meant a lot. I had been having a bad day, but that simple compliment shifted my day around. A second example is that I was coming back from Austin after a long drive from La Grange after working a camp retreat to Austin to home. I was almost home, but I got stopped on the main road. This was the first time I have ever been stopped so I naturally had no idea what to do and made a complete fool of myself. I was speeding of course- going 73 in a 65 speed limit zone. What can I say?! I inherited it from my dad’s side of the family. I mean even my 79 year old grandma speeds. Don’t even get me started on my dad. Anyways, I stopped right as I saw the cop lights in my rear view mirror, meaning I stopped in the middle of the road. That was not very smart on my part. The cop got out and told me to pull up into the turning lane so we don’t get hit. Then he told me that I was supposed to go to the left lane and pull aside. I, of course, did not do that. I think he could tell I had no idea what was going on. Anyways, I was polite because my dad taught me to always be polite and respectable to a police officer. He was so nice and gave me a warning! How lucky am I! I don’t know if it was because he could tell how lost I seemed or my age or what. It definitely was kind on his part. The third example I have was this past Thursday. I was at Starbucks the day it started to snow for the first time in years (remember I live in Texas). I was at the drive-thru, and it was pretty backed up. I ordered a sweetened iced green tea with light ice as usual. It’s either iced coffee or iced green tea. I like my drinks simple. I pull up to the window and see my favorite Starbucks worker. She has pretty ginger hair and always calls me girl. She is definitely my homegirl. She told me it was on her today, apologized for the wait, and gave me it to me for free. I asked if she was for sure, and she said of course! Those are some of the many acts of kindness that I have experienced in my life. These actions are so simple yet genuine. These people aren’t forced to say such things or act in such a way, but these strangers do it because they mean it.

I want to live my life in the following way: interacting with all people- strangers, friends and family, acquaintances, or enemies- in a honest and intentional way. We pass by so many strangers in a day, yet we do not care to get to know them. We are so self-consumed with our own lives. If we lived our lives with a greater sense of purpose, then we would live our lives intentionally. Everything we do is guided by that purpose. For me, I believe God has given me that purpose through helping others and being an advocate and voice for those who aren’t always heard or don’t always speak up. We are each called to do something with our lives which is different for each one of us. That is a beautiful thing to me. This purpose drives us and makes us do, act, and love in a way that is so much greater than just us. It is done in a manner that is bigger than who we are. It is done selflessly, authentically, and wholeheartedly. That is how I know the life I have been granted is good. It may not feel like it sometimes or even a lot of the times, but I know that every battle God puts me through prepares and grows me for something more. Simply put: life is good.