This is me and my friends at Victoria Falls experiencing new and abundant life. And it’s not raining it’s just the splash from the world’s biggest waterfall.
When did the world get so small? My generation has incredible opportunities. We can travel almost anywhere we want. I just got off a mission trip that went to three different continents and my worldview expanded tremendously. The culture in Guatemala taught me how to be more laid back and simply enjoy the view. The culture in Thailand taught me how to be respectful and honorable, and that it was okay to shower three times a day. The culture in Zambia taught me that what is mine is ours and there’s always room in life to be joyful, to sing and dance.
I was afraid to dance, but once I got over myself and just danced I think a part of my ego died and I experienced an aspect of life I never had before. If you’ve never danced and let go of yourself I challenge you to do it, try it! I’ve never felt so free. Dancing wasn’t what set me free it was my way of thinking that did. “Life is too short to care what people think, I want to dance so I’m going to”, that was my thought. You have to want it though. Do you actually want to live more? Do you want to break down the walls that society, culture, or your past experiences have put up around you? We were born to be free and to have the spirit of the pioneer. I died to the part of myself that believed people were always judging me, and that their beliefs of who I was actually mattered and affected me. I’m not saying this to be insensitive, but to let go of the social pressure that stops you from living life abundantly. I lived that revelation out in that moment and that was when I knew I was free. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. I was experiencing joy in life.
In America we have almost every terrain and climate, but culturally you can only experience so much living in one place. We have different sub cultures in America, but we all have the same general beliefs. We believe that hard work is all you need to succeed; we take pride in our hard work. We work extremely hard to get the things we want and we have the opportunity to do so. We have access to almost anything we want as long as we go out and get after it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with living in America and staying there to work and provide for those we love. That’s called responsibility. I’m an advocate for responsibility. But if there is something calling you, tugging you to go out into the world and experience more, then I think you should go for it! Sometimes you have to go on a physical journey to experience a spiritual journey.
There is something in the back of your head telling you there is more. There is more! Life is about the people around you. It’s not about where you are or what you do, it’s about WHO YOU ARE.
If you try to come alive by WHAT YOU DO you will spend your life asking the world around you, “What’s in it for me?”
If you instead come alive by WHO YOU ARE you spend your life giving to the world asking “What’s in me for it?” Then you will truly be a River of Living Water
-Ethan Wendle, G42 Leadership Instructor/Speaker
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