Stop Living in the Middle

Have you ever taken one of those online or magazine surveys? The ones where you circle or click where you fall on a scale of 0-10 to learn about who you are?

I looked at the list of survey questions in front of me. It was a survey about life, something rather generic. But I couldn’t believe what I saw. A solid 5 all the way down the list. It was…predicable, safe, expected.

It was sad.

I had tricked myself into believing that the middle was somehow safe. That if you stay still enough, right there in that balanced place you won’t rock the boat. That you’ll stay safely above the water and all will be well.

I’m not really sure how it happened. After all, I used to love rocking the boat. But somehow I ended up here in this place of the perfectly expected.

It’s a strange feeling when you don’t recognize yourself. I sometimes look at pieces of my life and feel like a confused puppy tilting my head to the side.

My life is good–no, great. This isn’t about the factors of my life, but how I approach my life.

When we stay in the same place for too long everything becomes nothing and we forget why we're here. But there's something you can do about it! Share on X

I have been living my life in the middle. Completely average. I don’t want to live at a 5.

I want to take chances.

I want exhilarating success and wild failing.

I want to feel the spectrum of fear and joy in all their intensity.

I want to be that person that has some 2’s and some 10’s, but still puts one foot in front of the other each day.

I’m tired of living at a five.

So I’m doing something about it.

• I’m picking up that book I stopped writing. I’m diving back in and taking the chance that it will never amount to anything (or maybe scarier still, that it will).

• I’m wearing that shirt that’s too fancy for a Wednesday, even if I end up with spaghetti sauce on it by the end of the day.

• I’m calling that friend that I haven’t talked to in forever just to say hi. (And Facebook and texting don’t count).

• I’m wearing my bathing suit and jumping in the water with my kids in the summer and I’m going out to drink hot cocoa in the snow in the winter.

• I’m getting in the pictures and smiling.

• I’m reading a book in the middle of the day.

Living in the middle may feel safe. It may look like everything you hoped it would. But God has a big world beyond the middle. Let’s get out there and live it!

How are you going to stretch beyond the safe places in your life and live fully?

---

Check out these great sites I’m linking up with: Literacy Musing Mondays, Purposeful Faith, Tea & Word Tuesday, Abounding Grace, Tell His Story, Porch Stories, Let’s Have Coffee, Worth Beyond Rubies, Moments of Hope, Tune in Thursday, Dance with Jesus, Fresh Market Friday, Faith ‘n Friends, Blogger Voices Network, Grace & Truth, Heart Encouragement