Soar! Grab hold of today!

Discover the adventure!

Davis continues: Discover the adventure hiding in the middle of the mundane! There’s a loud crunching sound as the sled gets under way, slowly at first. Then as it gains momentum, the crunch becomes sort of a swoosh. I blazed past my grandchildren. My heart was pounding, my face was numb, and endorphins raged through my bloodstream. Now at top speed, I screamed, “This absolutely rocks!” Then sky became ground and ground became sky. This repeated itself several times. Somehow I had lost control and cartwheeled at forty miles per hour into a snowbank. Snow was packed into every opening in my clothing. I was gasping for air, my wrist felt like it was broken, and a trickle of blood dripped from my nose. I remember shouting, “I’m alive!” As I wiped the blood from my nose and checked to see if my arms and legs were still attached, I was overwhelmed with a sense of joy. I thought, Now this is more than just being alive. This is living fully alive, senses tingling, nothing held back!

Live with expectancy!

Exchange the pain of unmet expectations for the joy of living with expectancy! I’ve been on this ride before. Many times I’ve stood kicking at one door, screaming because it wouldn’t open, while at the same time failing to see open doors of opportunity all around me—doors leading to thrilling new destinations and experiences. I’ve had tunnel vision. I have expected things to be the way they have always been and in doing so have put unnecessary limitations on what I could see and do. Your path to living fully alive may be at the back of the elevator, the side of the elevator, or even right through the roof. It may take more effort than you expect. You might even have to take the stairs. But it is never too late to open your eyes and look around to a broader view.

Drive a stake into the heart of everyday fears

All other fears bow down to “walking through the valley of the shadow of death.” In that valley it is difficult to stand, let alone press on. I have committed to read the Twenty-third Psalm every morning for the rest of my life. I want to read it before any fear can grab my attention. What confidence to know that my faith is in the only One who conquered death and gave me that same power to live my life.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23 (NIV)

Tap into power!

Tap into a power that will protect you whether you're crawling through the valley or standing on the mountain top! In the song “I Wanna Feel Something,” Trace Adkins sings of a yearning for something “that moves me, that proves to me I’m still alive.” A powerful line in Switchfoot’s song “Awakening” says, “I wanna know that my heart’s still beating.” Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul weighed in on the matter of living fully alive. He expressed his desire to live to the greatest extreme possible. His words are an anchor of inspiration to me. He said, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10, NIV). Whoa! What could be more out there, more exciting and fulfilling, than experiencing the same kind of power that raised Christ from the dead?