“The Tragedy of the Unopened Gift” by Gregg Levoy
“To sinful patterns of behavior that never get confronted and changed,
abilities and gifts that never get cultivated and deployed-
until weeks become months
and months turn into years,
and one day you’re looking back on a life of
deep, intimate, gut-wrenchingly honest conversations you never had;
great bold prayers you never prayed,
exhilarating risks you never took,
sacrificial gifts you never offered,
lives you never touched,
and you’re sitting in a recliner with a shriveled soul,
and forgotten dreams, and you realize there was a world of desperate need,
and a great God calling you to be part of something bigger than yourself –
you see the person you could have become but did not;
You never followed your calling.
You never got out of the boat.”
Live Boldly. Great opportunities await us regardless of age or stage of life.
What will we choose? Will we fall back into patterns of mediocre living or will we propel forward with new habits? Can we resist the current of constant distraction or will we learn the joy of singular attention and focused presence? Above all, will we make room for God or continue to be controlled by the whims of the moment and the exhaustion of the night before?
Live boldly! Risk developing deep relationships. Break out of the old ways that are holding you back. Dive into the calling and mission God has for your life. Face the broken places within you and courageously seek healing. Believe that God loves you passionately and desires your trust and affection. Cast aside the voices telling you that your dreams will never happen and hear the voice of the One who made you for a grand purpose. Similarly, decide now that you want real life, not the counterfeit insanity masking itself as
Bold living may be scary.
It may be difficult. It will likely include failures along the way. Don’t be deterred. Get up and keep going. The only failure is not trying. Live boldly!
