The Choice Between Life and Death

There is only one real rule in my house. ‘Don’t get dead.’  I stole the line from the movie UP, where the dog talks about the squirrel getting dead. (We think the use of poor grammar is hilarious – we are geeks).  The idea is, God gave you an amazing brain - you are old enough to know right from wrong. Don’t make choices that are going to bring you physical, emotional, or spiritual death. I want my kids to find their sweet spots in life – to become who they were created to be and I want to teach them to choose life – choose to really live – every single day.

Sometimes, I watch Grey’s Anatomy. The writing on that show is phenomenal. This is one of my all-time favorite lines…

 “We’re all going to die, we don’t get much say over how, or when.  But we do get to decide how we’re going to live. So, do it – decide.  Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be?  Can you be stronger? Kinder? More compassionate? Decide. Breathe in – breathe out and decide. “

So many times we choose mediocrity; we choose the status quo for the sake of ease. We don’t want to feel discomfort or upset the apple cart.  This produces a breed of people I like to call the walking dead.  They walk around life just going through the motions. Their relationships aren’t deep and they have no major positive influence on those around them. Many times, they have a negative influence. They are half-dead on the inside and treat that death by medicating usually –  becoming even less and less aware. The walking dead are angry – sometimes overtly, sometimes passively – but they are angry.  As well they should be, for they are slowly killing themselves and think it’s everyone’s fault but their own. I understand this person well, for I was once a member of their clan.

Pain from abuse, neglect, and dysfunction put me there, but it didn’t keep me there.

The only thing keeping you from living your best life is – you. You get to decide how you live and if something is keeping you from doing that, then you get to do the personal work to determine why. It is our brokenness, our pain, and our fear that keep us from choosing life. We choose death in our shame. It’s how we hide; from ourselves, from others.

So, what’s it going to be, my friend? Will you live today? Or will you die? The choice is always yours.

Thanks for being real and making it great.