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The change I believe in
I won't deny that this trip has been hard. It has been hard physically, as I endure the pain of saddle sores and throbbing feet. It has been hard mentally, to just keep going even when it's not fun anymore. It has been hard emotionally, as this is the longest time I have been away from the people I hold dear. It has even been hard socially, for though the team is like one big happy family, sometimes I need a little "me" time. We are together almost all the time, so catering to my own demands requires that I deliberately separate myself from everyone else for a little while. Like I am doing right now.
But as my friend Erin Morris likes to point out, the difficulty of this task makes it worthwhile. And she is definitely qualified to speak, as the trip has been painfully hard on her! Yet she keeps biking. She keeps encouraging others to do their best. She keeps reminding us of the vision--of the whole point of riding well. It's to ride for wells!
Before we departed, we received little booklets to use along the way to help us refine our life purpose. Being Seth, I had a purpose statement already formulated, but this trip has opened my eyes to how much farther I can go. Above all, I want to be a positive example that anyone would have every reason to follow. Every reason? Okay, I am not perfect, so that will never be fully realized. But I want people to learn from me. To be inspired by my actions. To understand that because I am ordinary, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
We can change the world. We can alleviate suffering. We can save lives. We can protect the unborn, endangered species, natural resources. We can spread the message of salvation through Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, to those who have yet to find eternal life.
Changing the world. It is a broad statement, but it encompasses all these areas and whatever other positive goals come to mind. It is the ultimate calling. It is my purpose. It is my destiny. I want to be known not as someone who points out all the problems in the world, but as someone who actively, methodically, and cooperatively works to erase them.
That is my life purpose. Whether it involves food writing, adventure traveling, being a scholar, running for office, leading a church, living in Appalachia, having a television show, or doing something else that I have not yet thought of, the point of my life is to make other people's lives better.
That is what it comes down to. It's a hard thing, but it is worth it.
But as my friend Erin Morris likes to point out, the difficulty of this task makes it worthwhile. And she is definitely qualified to speak, as the trip has been painfully hard on her! Yet she keeps biking. She keeps encouraging others to do their best. She keeps reminding us of the vision--of the whole point of riding well. It's to ride for wells!
Before we departed, we received little booklets to use along the way to help us refine our life purpose. Being Seth, I had a purpose statement already formulated, but this trip has opened my eyes to how much farther I can go. Above all, I want to be a positive example that anyone would have every reason to follow. Every reason? Okay, I am not perfect, so that will never be fully realized. But I want people to learn from me. To be inspired by my actions. To understand that because I am ordinary, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
We can change the world. We can alleviate suffering. We can save lives. We can protect the unborn, endangered species, natural resources. We can spread the message of salvation through Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, to those who have yet to find eternal life.
Changing the world. It is a broad statement, but it encompasses all these areas and whatever other positive goals come to mind. It is the ultimate calling. It is my purpose. It is my destiny. I want to be known not as someone who points out all the problems in the world, but as someone who actively, methodically, and cooperatively works to erase them.
That is my life purpose. Whether it involves food writing, adventure traveling, being a scholar, running for office, leading a church, living in Appalachia, having a television show, or doing something else that I have not yet thought of, the point of my life is to make other people's lives better.
That is what it comes down to. It's a hard thing, but it is worth it.
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3 Comments
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Comment by Jesse Olson on July 15, 2009 at 10:50pm - So glad to hear about your life. You have a bright future.
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Comment by Andy on July 11, 2009 at 12:27pm - Seth, you have a tremendous personal vision. It's all there. Best wishes in carrying it out! The older I get, the more I see life as a series of choices on the fly, just like R:WT. Eat here? Turn here? Work hard early and coast later? Join up with these folks for a while? Drop back for a few minutes? Vision, then, becomes a way to filter all the choices and keep us headed on our mission. I've found that when your vision aligns with the Kingdom, you enter a place of unbelievable fulfillment, at times, and sometimes you hope for the deferred Reward. And I'm rambling, but I love to talk "on purpose." You've got my ear, dude! ~Andy
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Comment by Lani Bruce on July 10, 2009 at 2:07pm - I cried yesterday wishing I could beam myself to Texas and just be a mom for a few minutes. God worked in His inimitable ways all day...I got to see a picture of Erin covered in blood but smiling her smile....and was reminded the she is His, first and foremost, and He was in Texas yesterday. Thanks for these precious words, Seth. They made me cry again...but it's all good. God is using you in lives of people who haven't even met you yet.
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