Righteous

 

The shift from kid to adult can be kind of bumpy. I know it was for me. It took me a little while to take my foot off the brake once I was on the interstate of adulthood. Those childhood backroads and adolescent blacktops were easy and fun. But eventually we have to get where we are going, right? 

Part of the reason it took me a while to stop pumping the breaks was the idea of being an adult. Mainly the responsibilities, the acceptance that many who you depended on are going to someday be gone and facing things on your own resolve. It was easy being a kid…as an adult, it’s much harder. 

When you get on the interstate of adulthood, you’ll find that the signs are all about success and goals. You’ll find drivers willing to cut you off to get to where they are going. You’ll find people tailgating you, pushing you to drive in ways you don’t want to. You’ll see people jamming in their cars looking like they are having fun or those who are distracted - all forcing you to drive a certain way. 

The key is to drive the way you were taught. Do the things that you learned in order to get to your destination safely.

Life is full of bad drivers and too often we get distracted by the social norms or just living up to the status quo. We do what everyone else is doing. Right now it's ok to bag on someone on social media. It’s ok to think of yourself before others and make you #1. It’s ok to get yours before anyone else. No reason to be kind, humble or faithful. It’s about you!

The way of thinking I just described is why the world is a mess. My faith tells me that if I am righteous, kind and humble, I will also find those things. I live by this code in my life. I try my hardest not to put myself as #1. It makes my life harder, but I know I’m helping, which makes me feel good…and maybe that’s all the repayment I get, but it's more than enough. 

When we think of righteousness, we might think of arrogant or prideful, but really its the opposite. Being righteous means doing the right thing. It means being a good person even if you look weak or uncool. It means putting service to others in front of yourself. Pretty much the opposite of what many will tell you will bring success. 

I hope that we can all learn to be kind. I hope that we can all start thinking with righteousness. Sometimes making yourself #2 makes you feel like #1