The Bucket List

My freshman year of high school I wrote a bucket list. I think like most people the movie "The Bucket List" inspired me to do so. I titled it "Things to do in a Lifetime" As I looked though it I reflected some of the things that Ive accomplished off of the list, but also I laughed at some of the ridiculous things that I wrote down such as: 29. Scream I'm loving it after I take a bite of a Big Mac, or maybe number 63. Order a buffet and stay there all day and eat. Then I looked at ones like number 59. Make a difference in someones life or number 98. Make an impact on thousands of peoples lives. One by one I read through reminiscing on the list I wrote four years ago and it hit me. If I were to complete this list most people in society would view my life as a giant success. But does God really want me to have a 100 item list? Think of a tourist that goes on a trip with a touring company. If they were to go to Paris on a trip for one week they would almost immediately be handed an itinerary of the week to come. That itinerary would be jam packed with activities and some of the most amazing landmarks you would ever lay eyes on. Sure these are all things you would want to see like The Eiffel Tower or The Louvre and maybe even The Notre Dame de Paris. But as you are herded from activity to activity wouldn't you stop to wonder where the adventure was? Wouldn't you wonder where that hole in the wall that sells the best pasta in world was? Or maybe even what the dancing street cleaners story is? You see the problem with this list is that it gives me way to many goals to aim for, and I am constantly looking forward in my life to "What's next on the list?" When we look forward to the "Next Big Thing" we lose sight at what's at hand. For me writing this blog has made me want to change career paths. I love Francis Chan and I think that he has the greatest job all time pastor/author/speaker. It is so easy for me to lay in bed thinking about what I need to do to hit that point in my life and often times I wish I could just fast forward to it! Have you ever heard a coach say that the next game is the most important game on the schedule because it's next? The same reigns true in our walks, the next day is the most important because it's next, or even the next minute is the most important minute of my life because it's next. When we try to map out our lives to a T we miss out on the little things. My new bucket list has one item and one item only "Live Life."