Why?

Well, I guess I should go ahead and tell why this entire blog is here.  I'm not sure when this all started, probably because of some crazy Facebook chain letter..  but I've become intrinsically involved in making a bucket list and having it steer a course in my life.  Though at the same time, it isn't the list that steers my life, because I feel that God steered the list.  Of course, there are things on the list that are inherently mine and are simply there for experience's sake.  But the heart of what came to light in me was Ephesians 5:15-16, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

I guess I never saw my life as something that had to be ordered.  I felt that if I just did the thing I felt was right at the time, went the direction I ultimately felt my life was supposed to be headed, I'd arrive wherever I was supposed to end up.  Well, the fault in that thinking was that I didn't know myself.  My supposed end destination seemed to change from year to year causing my path to change from year to year.  In turn, most of the projects and plans never got out of step 1.

Now I don't ever want to discourage someone from going after something they are passionate about.  I believe my chief problem was that I didn't go after something passionately enough.  If I had been more passionate about going after singing, perhaps I'd have been in a band for the time I was passionate about it.  If I had been more passionate about doing this or that, perhaps I would have had much more to show for those times.  Instead, I seemed to try to funnel that passion into a perfecting of something that wasn't to stay around for very long.  In time, the season passed and with no understanding or wisdom of why it passed, I carried on to the next thing.

So, I'd give this advice: Run hard after the thing you desire most desperately.  Don't let anyone tell you to slow down or stop.  If you desire to do something, do it now.  Because you do not know when that desire will wane.  And until that time comes, at least you have something to show for the waning.  Instead of saying, I want to be a missionary, let's save up for training school, learn a language, do this, do that.. just GO!  Get training in the meantime while waiting for the departure date, but find an outlet and go.  If your church is going on a short term missions trip to Mexico or Canada or two cities over, go with them, doing whatever will get you on the trip.

In any case, I want to put this list out there, to make it known to whoever wants to read this.  Perhaps to inspire, perhaps to keep me inspired... perhaps even to serve as a basis for ideas for others to commit for themselves.  But this is my checklist, and I'll be keeping notes here as the list shortens and things are accomplished.

Just to keep this from being eternally long, I'll post the list on the next blog.

DeJuan