My perspective on life and the result of dreaming...

Hey gang, it has been six weeks since my last blog post, which is the longest I have gone between posts in a year and a half. Here is why: 1). I just completed and graduated from a doctoral program which has been a dream of mine to complete for quite some time AND 2). My wife and I just gave birth to our new little daughter on April 25th--- another beautiful little dream of mine. I am one blessed guy. And, due to these blessings... I thought a little blog post could wait a little while. The wait has been worth it. Now, that I am back on the blogging scene, I want to share with you my perspective since earning a doctorate and being called daddy.

My perspective:

What’s in a name? Is a name simply a pre-requisite for humanity? Is it something we tag onto the souls of the ones we love at birth only so we can keep up with the mores of society? Do we ever stop and think about our own name? These questions provoke me to think, sometimes these queries aggravate and frustrate and, at other times, inquiries such as these haunt. Sadly, answers to the aforementioned questions rarely are sought out, pursued with vigor, or hunted down with urgency. Could it be that the very existence of mediocrity in our lives, the “settling” that runs rampant in our culture, could stem from the apathetic attitudes and complacency to the very question… “What is in our name?”

Far too often are the names of the ones we meet, the ones we rub elbows against, and the ones we live amongst forgotten. This is inexcusable. However, this sad state of affairs is a profound and poignant reflection of the lack of attention we truly pay to who we really are. At birth, we are adorned with a name, a title, a moniker, a label. These titles are great identifiers into the very essence of our being and, more often than not, tell the preface to our very own unique stories.

My story begins with three words: “to Honor God.” What is in a name is a story. After deep evaluation, I am probed to ask, “Is my story fact or fiction?” Am I merely a double-sided man who only “seems to be” or do I authentically and genuinely uphold the title of my story? Do I honor God? As I walk through life, I discover that nothing is by accident. My name is not by accident. Therefore, the answers to these questions have to be constantly searched. The noteworthy thinker and philosopher, Socrates, said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” By asking questions, questions about my childhood, my parents, my name, my siblings, my motives, my goals, “the why” in life; I am able to examine. Coincidentally, by examining my life, I am able “to be rather than to seem to be: Esse Quam Videri.

I take this self-examination seriously. I, sincerely, consider the meaning of my name, which is linked to my life’s purpose, “to honor God.” I, with great intensity, focus on the examination of my life so that I can more readily and more appropriately honor God. I seek to honor my Creator, God, through every facet and component of my well-intentioned life. Not wanting to “settle,” not wanting to stop at mediocrity’s door; I strive to be my best… to offer myself as “holy and pleasing to God.” Does this mean that I do this with only a portion of my life? I do not think so. I aim to be honorable in every fabric of my being. If honoring God means purifying my physical body, then purify me now. If honoring God means stretching my mind, then stretch away. I, simply, want one thing: to be true to my name, to be true to my story, to be true to myself: “And, to thine own self be true.”

As life trudges on, I want to be one who can examine his own life without fear of what he will discover. I want to learn. I want to learn more. I want to be one who can rest easy at night, laying my head on my pillow, with the assurance that I am “true to thine own self.” However, I am not naïve; I do not perceive to think that this task is effortless, that the story is somehow painless in carrying out, that the name I am given somehow comes with little responsibility. On the contrary, I choose to recognize and embrace such a large commission before me. I see the story as an opportunity to continue writing a legacy, not an epitaph. I see the name as a noble title to uphold, a badge of honor to wear with great pride and care. I see the true meaning of my name and see it for what it is. It is a divine mission that cannot be ignored, cannot be taken lightly, and cannot be underscored with apathy and saddled with mediocre attempts at living. Rather, it must serve as a mission that is held in high esteem, treasured, and purposefully lived out with the utmost diligence and intention. And, the beauty is that, when concluded, this story will wreak, not of mediocrity and apathy, but of hope, authenticity, truth, and above all… honor.

What is your life's perspective? What are passionate about? Share your dreams and thoughts below...