Life is Hard, So Go Live It

Let’s just say life has been interesting lately.

Not too long ago, an armed robber tried to break into my house.

Shortly before that, during a stretch in which I went out of town for 12 straight weeks, I was forced to spend the night in a haunted hotel in Tucson, Arizona, a city that doubles as the most Godforsaken place on earth.

When I finally came home to Nashville, it was under attack by an army of Killer Death Cicadas and the obnoxiously loud frogs in my neighbor’s unfortunate above-ground swimming pool.

We took a vacation in the Bermuda Triangle to get away from the madness at home, and immediately upon our return every single electronic or mechanical device in our possession went haywire at the same time, including our coffee maker, lawnmower, refrigerator, cable modem, computer, our brand new e-reader and even our car. Both our cars.

Basically, our house was the scene of the largest electronics revolt in history in which Will Smith didn’t play the protagonist.

Meanwhile, my mom narrowly escaped medical catastrophe, my wife’s 17-year-old niece got pregnant with twins and my brother-in-law announced an out-of-town wedding on two week’s notice, and all the while work for which I don't have the mental energy has relentlessly piled up on my desk.

It’s been a wild summer.

What have I learned from it?

Life is full of moments when things go wrong. It’s full of dashed hopes and broken coffee makers and changes that come before you’re ready for them. It’s filled with hired hands who care considerably less about your stuff than you do, and instances when you find 60 cents in your desk drawer when the vending machine requires 65.

Life is hard.

So hard that life’s frustrations can easily become the defining story of your life if you let them. If your life isn’t about something else—something bigger—its burdens can become life’s defining feature, because there just isn’t enough pleasure to go around to cancel out all the crap.

But life’s endless array of trivial problems somehow seem smaller when I realize my life is supposed to be about something bigger than my own comfort.

We weren’t made for ourselves. We all have a unique service to provide to the world. And even though it may feel like it at times, it’s not to be its garbage can.

I promise.

Everyone has a purpose in life. Even you. There’s a path you were meant to travel that leads toward some destination that will make the world a better place by your time spent upon it.

If you don’t immediately recognize one, it’s probably because you talked yourself out of it somewhere along the way. But it’s out there somewhere. There’s a person in the mirror you’d like to be. And not just because other people expect it.

Once you find it, life will still have burdens that derail your plans. But they seem less overwhelming when they are obstacles on the path to a destination instead of just a series of dead ends.

So walk your path. Take some time to refresh yourself along the way with rest, prayer and reflection, as well as some time with loved ones and a few soul-enhancing diversions.

Laugh with friends.
Read a book.
Have a glass of wine.
Make a difference in the world.

Follow your dreams.
Even if they lead somewhere scary.

After all, an uphill climb in the rain in pursuit of your dream will feel easier than a walk in the park on a path meant for someone else.

Your life is out there. Find it. Take it. Live it.

Life is too hard not to.