The Road to Hell...

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get ran over if you just sit there." - Will Rodgers

Here's an interesting observation: it's not that hard to be on the right track. Most of us are. The track is the pathway by which we must move to get where we are going. For an eighth grade student like myself, the track ultimately leads to getting through high school and then choosing a pathway that fulfills dreams. All you have to do to be on that track, as an eighth grader, is sit through eighth grade, and make at least passing grades. In a society of ungodly amounts of extra credit and retakes for full credit, that's pretty easy to do.  We live in a society that worships good intentions. Wanting to do the right thing is really all that matters. While I believe that you probably need good intentions to make a difference in the world, I think you'd have to be crazy to say that this is the only piece of the puzzle. Good intentions with a lack of action? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Or if you prefer, those who mean well and act not will likely end up getting run over by a train. I mean well. I don't want to hurt anyone, I want to encourage and build up and use the gifts that God has given me to make a difference in the world. Really I do. But if I don't actually do those things does anyone really care?  Few people truly have bad intentions. Even people on the wrong side of conflicts usually have a valid purpose. John Wilkes Booth just wanted to help the Confederacy and the only reason he wanted to do that was to protect southern culture and economy. While murder wasn't a good choice, his intentions in the beginning, only kidnapping Lincoln and holding him hostage, from an objective standpoint, aren't entirely bad. 

I don't have a cute story or a fantastic point to make. All I'm saying is this: life is busy. I somehow got talked into playing basketball and there isn't a dull moment in my life right now. On practice days I get on the bus to my math class at seven o'clock and don't get home until practice is over a little after five. Four days a week. Then there's regular homework not to mention watching the Red Sox grind their way to the World Series, (I know that sounds lame, but when you faithfully watch even half of the 162 regular season games, you start to care about that title as much as the players do. It's a priority.) free time has been spent going to bed early and celebrating that I can do that. Accomplishing things for me and to actually contribute to the world? It's hardly crossed my mind. America is a culture that is ready-set-go all the time, running from one place to the next. If you're like me, it's way too easy to forget about moving forward; merely staying on the track is the easiest thing to do. 

Don't forget to move forward. Take some time off, because we aren't built to work 24/7/365, but don't forget to move forward on those tracks. We all have good intentions. Legacy leaders move forward. It doesn't matter if it's a small thing like pledging to do some acts of kindness here and there, but don't just survive. We aren't here to survive. This is a reminder, corny as it sounds to be amazing, and don't just sit around. Life is short. The end is closer than you think. Do something. Move forward.