Sarah Nyhan

How do you define success?

Do you leave the definition of success for yourself up to someone else? Who do you give that power to? It’s your life. You are the only one who gets to live it. 

What will you say when you are in those last days? Looking back at all that happened? Will you be happy? Will you be satisfied with where you are now?

You gotta get over all these fears that hold you back. From living the life you really want to lead. 

Unless you want to stay mad and keep blaming everyone else. Including God.

What if you only get one chance at this? Weeping and gnashing of teeth – that’s it?

God told Adam to give the animals names. God didn’t give Adam the names. If you need Bible verses.

What about the story of the talents? The only one who was corrected was the one who did nothing. The one who tried to blame his inaction on fear. The one who was forever waiting for outside permission before actually living. The one who didn’t value his own thoughts and opinions. Who tried to blame their inaction on God.

We gotta get over that. 

Perfection isn’t the goal. In the sanitized sense. Otherwise the world would not have so many different colors and nuances. So much mystery. So many invitations for relationship presenting as intentionally unanswered questions.

There are no right answers to keep looking for. We’re not even supposed to judge ourselves. Yet I know some who make it their full-time job working overtime to cast down condemnation on anyone that dares to trust Jesus and take up space. Dares to voice an opinion. Dares to stand for something other than the dead status quo. 

Sure, get angry with me. I gotta get over that. I gotta believe in myself at some point. In what I feel. In what I think. And quit defining success as everyone else never having a problem with anything I do or say.

It’s just not reasonable to expect everyone to like you. To like me. It’s not reasonable to only start living after everyone approves of my decisions and what I want to say.

I believe in working things out. I believe in processing. I believe it’s okay to discuss thoughts and beliefs. I value taking action over dying before I’m physically dead. Waiting until such a day as everyone takes time out of their life to validate me.

It’s really okay. To not always get it right. No matter how hard you try. So-called failure just means you’re trying. More than I can say for a lot of folks. 

Guess what? You’re human. 

Imma roll out this bitch like the last car in a demolition derby. My opinion? I think it’s foolish to leave anything on the table.

I been there. Twice at least. Getting wheeled into surgery. Thinking this might be the end. You know what I instantly regretted? Not doing more. Playing scared.

Fuck that shit.