long live the reckless and the brave.

reck·less 1. utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action; without caution; careless (usually followed by of ): to be reckless of danger. 

brave 1. possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.

lately i've been contemplating this one thing a lot. i guess because i am growing up and rapidly changing as a person, it just so happens that the subject of doing my dreams comes to mind quite frequently.

i have also been thinking that people today seem to all be going by the same road. and it usually goes something like this:

(1) school

(2) college

(3) get a job

and usually, the job tends to be something they just do to earn a living. to get that paycheck. not anything that they really are all that passionate about.

it's just something they do to pay the bills.

i think i've always just planned on going in that order because that's how everyone else was doing it. but lately, i've been thinking that it really is okay not to. if i wanted. if i don't want to go to college, that's going to be okay. i don't need to feel the shame that the world throws at those who make the choice not to. i believe that God doesn't write college into the story of every person He creates. but that's what makes us all so unique.

at this point in my life, i don't know what the plan is after highschool. but i don't want to always feel locked into the idea that i must go to college, or else i will have no life.

i believe it all kind of ties into the idea of originality. you know, being you and not just choosing the road that people would prefer you to choose. besides, you get way more joy and satisfaction out of building a road yourself. then, someday, you can say that it was you and it was Jesus that built that road. and no one else intervened in the making of it.

you can then honestly say that you had the heart to do the right thing for yourself.

so i think that a lot of us are raised believing that that is the road we must take. The Three Steps. i'm not discouraging a college education, but i also don't think it's for everybody.

maybe for you, it's the opposite story. you may want to go to college, but you've got the dream-bashers who'd say it would be better to not try for that extra education. to not pursue a career quite that high up in the sky. but in your heart, you know what star you want to reach for.

either way your story goes, bravery is vital.

* * * * *

lately, i've been listening to The Reckless And The Brave by the band All Time Low a lot. and so the idea of being reckless and brave has been swimming around in my mind a lot, too. when i think of the phrase, i think of caring less what people think and simply following the path i know is right for me.

because it's about discovering your own thing. and then sticking to it. never letting anyone lead you away from it. because i guarantee you, someone in your life will try. and they will try hard. but you must always remember to stay strong and believe in who you are meant to be. and remember this, too: if God is for us, who can be against us?

so whether it's making the decision to go to college, or following the career you know you were created to pursue, you will always have the doubters. and this applies to all aspects of life, but right now, i feel that choosing a path to my future is where i find myself the most.

in the end, i believe that sometimes you've gotta be a little reckless.
and you've definitely always got to remember to be brave.

long live, sweetheart. long live all of those of us who are reckless and brave enough to be dreamers. who aren't afraid to live full out. because in the end, that's all it really is. living fully by faith in Jesus that He's got this completely amazing plan for each and every one of us.

choosing joy,
hannah