My mom gave me a refrigerator magnet a couple of Christmases ago in one of her Boxes o’ Random Fun. It read “Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History.” Don’t you love that? Me too. In fact, it still hangs on my fridge today. It’s cute, but it sticks there and mocks me 2 ½ years after I received it. “Misti, you’re lookin’ mighty well-behaved these days.” The magnet voice sounds like Reba McEntire. Maybe because it’s branded on a small slab of wood, I don’t know, but I envision those strong, ballsy women of the Wild West when I read that magnet. I imagine my fiery hair braided down my back and my corseted, puffy dress swishing as I saunter about in the establishment I own. Wild, bold, adventurous. Not backing down from anything or anyone. I long for that disposition, yet I wake up every morning in my safe little suburban life nursing an addiction to timidity and people-pleasing and watching my adventure dreams grow more and more distant much as the cowboy rides off into the sunset. The life I’ve created is the exact opposite of the wild, bold adventure intimated in that blasted magnet.
But today? Today, I’m rethinking. To me it seems like I have two choices. Either I get up every morning and continue to shut out the emaciated voice of my dreams in order to fatten up the voices of safety and predictability, or I do the opposite. I make the decision to turn and face that God-given dream and take Him up on His promise of adventure and fulfillment. At some point, if I’m going to live that wild, bold, meaningful life, I’m going to have to choose it.
And choose it, I’m doing as of now. That’s what this blog is about. It’s about listening to Refrigerator Reba and laying down everything to follow God wherever He will lead me, no matter what people say. They will think I’m crazy, I know. I’m leaving an amazing job, students I love, and perceived safety and security in order to follow the writing ministry dream God dropped in my heart a decade ago. But so often what the world thinks is whackadoo is simply someone daring to behave differently in order to be obedient to God and take Him up on his promises.
I’m excited about the unknown events to come, and I’m thankful you’re joining me on this journey. My prayer is that you, too, are daring to leave wherever God says leave to go wherever God says go (physically, emotionally, or spiritually). Let’s be brave enough to trust that whatever He asks of us is for our good, for a purpose and eternally significant. He’s got good plans. Let’s see what they are!
