I have seen many people take the easy, safe way where they can be appropriately comfortable. The majority of people seem to take this path of life because it is stable with no risk behind it. Sadly, when I talk to the people who make this decision, there is always something that makes them say, “Oh I wish I could have done this or that” or “Wow, I have always wanted to do that.” Why is it that if these people so greatly desire these things but do not reach for these dreams?

I believe that our culture is suffering. We seem to be obsessed with not only comfort and safety but also indifference. Our culture has made it seem normal to not care about anything. It will shame us for showing any kind of intense feeling for anything that has been deemed impractical. But why is it like that? Why is it that when we show incredible passion for something or someone we are teased, called a child or accused of being naive?

I feel like this continuous shaming of passion is what makes people put up a mask, a mask that hides what we truly enjoy because we fear that people may judge us for enjoying something that is not “normal.” From a young age, it is drilled into us that it is not okay to be wild for something or even someone because we are taught not to get our hopes up. We are taught that all happiness seems to end eventually, that it peaks after a while and we will go back into our routine of mediocrity. We are taught to be practical and to make decisions that ensure a stable future instead of stepping out on faith to do what sets us on fire.

We were not put on this earth to make decisions in order to gain others’ approval. When we make decisions based on what other people’s opinion will be, we end up in a place that we were not meant to be in. Every one of us has a purpose, and with that purpose we are given a burning passion for something. God gives us passions for certain things so that we can go forth and bring glory to him through that passion! Why is it that we are shamed for a God-given passion? We should step forward and be proud of the little things that we love and the things that bring joy to our life because we are here to bring glory to God. What better way is there to glorify God than to love the passions that He has given us and live our lives for Him to the fullest?

I believe that our culture is suffering, but that does not mean that we cannot change that and become people on fire for what God has impassioned us with. I believe that we can uplift each other for our differences and glorify God through everything. But until we are willing to step out on faith and step away from what society has deemed as normal and stable, we will remain in the same mediocre routine.

I am ready. I am ready to embrace the passions that God has given me and step out in faith. That is how I will live the rest of my life. I may be stepping away from what we are taught is stable, but I believe that God will be my stability. I am ready to be impassioned.