"Yeah...what does that mean?"

The above words are a direct quote from my little sister when I told her the title of this blog, which I had been agonizing over for days. So, I thought I might fill you in a little on why I started this blog, and what the title means. I mean, "With Abandon" sounds a little mysterious, so let me unpack it for you. To put it simply, I believe that this is how we are called to live. There are a lot of things in life that are hard, and they're scary, and they keep us locked up in a cage of wasted potential becuase we're too afraid of falling to try to fly. I, for one, refuse to spend the rest of my life wondering about and second guessing my choices. So I'm going to try and live an abandoned life in my...

Faith: First and foremost, I want to live a life that is abandoned to God. If He is not Lord of my life, then living with abandon isn't a good choice...it would lead me down a very dangerous road. You see, God must be allowed free reign in my life to do what He sees fit. The point of my life on earth is not about me. It's about bringing glory to God in all I do. It's about living like Christ. He didn't come to earth to live a safe life. He came to radically redefine people's worlds. He came to bring me hope. He came to suffer and die for me. He came to storm the gates of hell and conquer death, and He won. He came to rise from the dead and give me hope that nothing in this life can take away from me. He came and lived with abandon. And I don't know about you, but I'm chasing after that version of abandonment with all I have, becuase there is no better way to live.

Relationships: Family, friends, love...they're all going to hurt you and let you down at some point. In the past year, I've lost some relationships that were really important to me. I've gained new ones that are equally important. I've seen friendships change that I would have rather seen stay the same. But the reality of life is, we're all human. We have lives that all too often tear us apart instead of bring us together. And you'll get hurt. You'll lose people you love. But the question I've had to ask myself in this past year is "Do I think it's worth it?" Is pouring time and effort into family and friends really worth it if all that ends up happening is we eventually lose those relationships? The answer, if you're living with abandon, is yes. Don't be afraid to love people with all you have. Don't be scared to let people in and to trust someone. Don't miss out on the joy of relationships becuase you're scared of losing them, becuase you'll still end up alone. God has called us to love as He does, and that means with everything in us.

Choices: Usually in life, when you must chose between two things, you can either play it safe or just go for it. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't want to be stuck thinking "What if?" my whole life. What if I had taken that job, went on that missions trip, studied abroad, gotten a degree in someting I was really passionate about, instead of what I knew would give me job security? Becuase that's exactly what we end up with when we play it safe: security. I know you're thinking, "Rachel, that's kind of the point." But I truly believe that is a terrible way to live. Who wants to be secure all the time? Who wants to have everything lined up and planned out for forever? Where's the fun in that? Where do you leave room for God to take you on wild, crazy adventures that you could never have dreamed up if you tried? I don't want to miss that.

Living with abandon isn't easy. It's not always fun or exciting or clear cut. There will be times when you don't know what to do, where to go, and which choice to make. But I firmly believe that if you choose to live this way, you're going to get a front row seat to watch God do incredible things in you and through you. And that, to me, makes it worth it. My hope and prayer is that you would find in my blogs things that stir, encourage, and challenge you to live this kind of life. I am right here with you on this journey as I learn, fail, and try again. Hopefully, this strikes a chord on your heart like it does in mine.

If you have made it through this post, thank you. I haven't tried this whole blogging thing before, and I'm sure I will grow as a writer...at least, I desperately hope so. If you liked this post, stop by often and see what's new, leave a comment, and tell me how you're living with abandon...I'd can't wait to hear it.