where will we begin

"Everyone who got to where they are had to begin where they are" - Richard Paul Evan

A Facebook friend of mine posted this quote today. I like it because I think it's a really natural statement. We all have a beginning to how great we are going to be. It is that beginning that determines the extent of our greatness. I can remember prepping for the SATs, the most important but belittling test ever (still bitter, ten years later), and waking up the morning of to eat my big, hearty breakfast. Brain food was important as a test taker. I needed to fill my body with the proper nutrients that will give me the best chance of focusing and choosing the correct multiple choice answer, even though they all seemed to be the same except for the word than or then (the anxiety is coming back to me). The first meal of the day was the most important, even more important that last minute cramming because if you did not have a proper beginning to test day, you were probably not going to reach that above average score.

Everyone has a beginning to their journey in life. Mine is now. I am completely on my own. There is no dependency on my parents for my survival. I am independently living and caring for my own life. Influence of any kind - spiritual, political, emotional - isn't there. For the first time in my life, I have a chance to decide my future and how big I want it to be. This is truly my beginning and I want to do it right.

The foundation I lay now for myself is my beginning. It matters what I do because my actions shape my future. Now is the time to figure out where I stand in this world by finding my world view and what that looks like integrated into my everyday living. It's important to get it right, so that we can achieve the greatness that we are capable of reaching. It's almost as if we are accruing years and the more we have done right, the bigger our future looks.

A future in God's presence isn't going to be as fulfilling if we don't take His place in our lives seriously early on. Choices that we make when we are young eventually come back to us in the form of regret and resentment, leaving the lingering question of  "what if...". Life can still be good in the long run, but take the challenge of beginning now so that you can make it beyond great!