Hannah Beers

When eating dinner in the caf with my friends tonight, we all played a game of “high-low.”
In this game, each person takes turns of saying their highs and lows of the day.
Being the cynical person that I am, I shrugged it off and gave a sarcastic answer. “The low of my day was waking up. The high of my day will be going back to sleep.”
Everyone laughed. I smirked. Onto the next dinner conversation!

…until I thought about it.
And that wasn’t some sarcastic remark.
It was true.

I have gotten into a habit of living my days from paycheck to paycheck- not financially but figuratively.
I exist to go to class, then to come back to my room, do homework, watch tv, sleep. Rinse and repeat.

This was the exact thing I swore would never happen when making this new step in my life.

Are there things in my life right now I’m not happy about? Absolutely. I miss having some of the most treasured people I know in my life. My friendships- both at home and the ones that came with me to Springfield, have changed and in some cases lessened. On a less serious note, I prefer not to wake up before 9 am. I don’t like living in a perpetually hot building. I could go on.

However, none of these things should have any impact on my daily joy. Do they (the more serious ones) sadden me? Often. Do they affect my joy? They shouldn’t.

I should have a joy that is everlasting. A peace that transcends all understanding.
Instead, I sit at the dinner table and complain about my boring life, when in fact, I am comfortable living in mediocrity.

I was not made for mediocrity. What am I doing living it?

In my short life, I have searched many places for happiness and fulfillment. All of them have led me here: to a stagnant, rotting life with no promise and no principle.

There is no true joy other than in Jesus Christ. There is no pure happiness other than through God.

When did I carelessly toss this aside?
When did you?

The number one way to fall away from faith is to slowly forget about it. Not on account of intent, but routine.

And instead of playing down the faith issue, I’ll tell you the truth. I am not good on my own. I am messy, cynical, angry, and moody. I am selfish. I constantly screw up. I take people for granted. On my own, this is all I am. I literally need God. I am weak without him. I am lost without him. I am broken without him. It is not until I am living a life for Jesus Christ that I am good. That is when I help people, when I do my best, when I accomplish my purpose.

I am constantly amazed that I have a savior who still takes me back. Time after time after time. He still dreams for me. Jeremiah 29:11

Don’t let your routine turn into a never-ending game of mediocrity. Perhaps you need a wake-up call as I did.

Do me a favor. Play a round of “high-low” and see how it turns out.

I’ll leave you with this.

“Every morning, wake up and say ‘This will be a great day.’ When going to sleep, say ‘This was a great day!’ That way, at the end of your life, you’ll be able to say, ‘I lived a great life.’” -Author Unknown