Wanderer

By: Boston Gilbert

       I am a little bit of a dreamer - a wanderer. I tend to think about the future. A lot. 

       If you were to ask ten people, I would bet that nine of them would describe themselves in a similar way. That is why I am writing about it. 

       Dreaming big is not bad. Ambitious people have big dreams, and surrounding yourself with ambitious people is a good thing...right? What I am NOT doing with this post is telling people to stop dreaming, or stop being ambitious. What I AM doing with this post is encouraging people to do something (every day) that will tangibly help them in their pursuit, or "wandering," of whatever they are striving for. 

       Striving. I HATE that word. Dude, that's the worst word. Naturally, you would think that striving after something is a good thing. Working hard to achieve something? Sure. Putting time and energy into something? Absolutely. But "striving?" Eh. 

       There is a shift in the mind and heart here that places us at the head of a crossroad. Do I do what I do because I want it for myself? Do I workout because I want to be jacked? Do I read because I want to be smart? Or, do I workout because I understand what has been given to me. My body is a gift. Genesis 1:27, bro. It is God's image. I read because I understand that I am not able to read and comprehend out of my own ability. My mind is a gift. James 1:5. Wisdom is God's present. This is a game changer. The fact that I am only able to be healthy and fit, or keen and wise, because those abilities come from God, motivates me to use them for a different purpose. The LORD's purpose. The difference here is that they ACTUALLY have purpose. Unlike my other motivations, which are purely selfish - success, title, accomplishment, fame, money. 

       When I strive, I strive for my name to be known. I strive to have security. I strive to be recognized and respected. When I understand what I have been given, and use that understanding as juice to continue to push and improve, I find purpose in what I do. Because I have a purpose that is greater than any motivation I could muster on my own, I don't even have to know what I am going to do in two years. Five years. Ten years. What I DO know, is that when I get up this morning and lift a weight, or read a passage out of a book, there is purpose in that space. When I do those things out of a place of understanding that the LORD is the power/reason behind it, they have worth. I can quit the unhealthy habits of worry. Anxiety. Stress about the future. Who cares? I'll do what I do with purpose now. I can walk in freedom. 

       Work hard. Seek. Ask questions. Grind. Wander. 

       Don't strive aimlessly, vainly. You are valued and have purpose.