Parting Shot

This post is part of the October 2015 Synchroblog that invites bloggers to imagine what they would say if they were writing their last blog post. Please scroll to the bottom of the page for links to other writers’ contributions.

I am feeling both sentimental and hopeful as I leave as these last words on the synchroblog. It’s been fun sharing the journey with you, and I will very much miss the challenge of writing about something that someone else thought of, instead of my more predictable rants, and supposed insights.

Here is my parting shot.

Relax.

There is a lot of intensity on the Internet, and in life. While we have dealt with many a serious and controversial issue here, I suggest that we only take a select few things seriously. Decide what is really important, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t insist on being right about everything.

If there is one thing that is true about people who are walking in the ways of Jesus, it would be that they are at peace. They are not trying to gain God’s favor or anyone else’s. Because of who God is, who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and how he loves us, things couldn’t be better. Life might be pretty screwy, but the really big stuff is okay. We need to keep reminding ourselves of that.

Be Yourself.

There are a lot of people who will try to “should” on you. Don’t let them. (Unless you really deserve it.) Other people usually do not know what’s best for us. We have to determine that for ourselves. Yet, some individuals will try to force their expectations on you. Don’t let them. Determine who you are, and what you are passionate about, and stay true to that. It’s a very challenging, but rewarding path.

Love.

It sounds easy, but it’s really hard, because people can be terribly unlovable, including each one of us. You’ll get burned occasionally, but it’s worth it. Choose a small, select group of people who you want to influence in life and focus on investing in them. After all, it worked for Jesus.

There is another side to love that gets us way out of our comfort zone, and takes us into other ethnicities, religions, political persuasions, and socio-economic groups. We will learn a lot about how to love there.

We have to grow up to love. It’s a process, full of fits and starts. But, as we all know, it’s those relationships that make our life meaningful.

Hang in There.

Sometimes you will think you have arrived. You haven’t. Sometimes you will think life has dealt you a knockout blow. But it’s not. You can always get back up, and even be better because of the adversity. Don’t ever play the role of the victim, even if you have been victimized. You have the innate ability to rebound.

Move On.

This blog has involved a lot of Jesus followers who are pissed off with the church. I get that. I have lived it. There is a time for the anger and complaining, and there is a time to find a way to follow Jesus that is true and meaningful for you. It has taken me longer to learn that than most to work through that process.

It is a beautiful thing to find a faith that is real, that you are not ashamed of, that does not control you by shame and guilt, that does not sequester you off from the rest of humanity, but frees to see the beauty in everyday. It’s worth all of the stuff you go through on the journey.

K.W. Leslie – Synchrobloggery
Clara Mbamalu – What is love?
Carol Kuniholm – A Final Synchroblog
Leah Sophia – Synchroblog: Creation One More Time
Jeremy Myers – If this were my only blog post, I would invite you to do one thing
J. A. Carter – Last Words
Tony Ijeh – Sharing Jesus
Liz Dyer – Last words about love