Ever feel like you haven't experienced enough?

From time to time, when I take on my alternate form as a couch blob, I start to feel bad about it. As I sit there, being a blob and all, the all-to-familiar "am I making the most of my time?" crap fills my head like when you smell a poop smell and still feel like you are smelling it hours later. (I know I'm not the only one.. It's like the hippocampus of my brain decides to troll me the rest of the day by constantly reminding me of the smell of the cat's butt near my nose when I woke up that morning, now there's a true story :/ ) Anyway, I have times when I think not only that I should be being more productive in my time, but that I should be gaining more experiences with my free time. Does that make sense? I find myself thinking about how I should be playing outside more often or how I should be doing more things with my friends. I get wanderlust that evolves into urgency to see as many corners of the world as I possibly can, and fast. But why am I feeling that way? Do you ever find yourself doing that? I'd say it's a general sense of urgency that many people share, to get as much life crammed into our days as possible. The pressure is exacerbated by our social media. We see people studying abroad, going to concerts and sporting events seemingly every weekend, playing with animals, and completing the Pacific Crest. We see the highlights of everybody's day on Facebook and Instagram. Only a few particularly honest sharers will put stuff about the mundane experiences (albeit some might share a little tooo much mundane! ). This is not an effort on my part to slam social media, nor do I want to regurgitate old hat conversation about how people "just put the good stuff" on social media. I do believe, however, that it is worth mentioning, as it is very easy to forget that perspective. Many writers and bloggers have shared their thoughts on social media and how the natural tendency for people to post all of their positive stuff does indeed have an effect on those constantly seeing the posts. People who are spending their weekend cuddling with the dog at home are bound to feel a little lonelier after seeing tons of photos of casual acquaintances crammed into an iphone frame. The person who works data entry notices entries people share about the meaningful experiences they are having with their students/clients/patients and may feel a bit demoralized about it. The student who is working all through summer to pay off a bit of that infernal student loan sees the former classmate backpacking through Europe and feels a little stunted. You get the picture. You may have been there. You may also be the one posting the great stuff. I do it too, and I am not saying we shouldn't! What I am saying though is to remember all of the boring stuff that you are not reading on the news feed, and to remember your highlight moments that you have experienced.

I have to tell myself this often. For a while I stopped getting on my Facebook and Instagram, because it was genuinely making me depressed. I was between jobs, suffering major cabin fever back in the winter, and wanting to cry and puke every time I saw somebody talk about his dream job or about her trip to Florida (I WANTED TO GO TO FLORIDA BUT HAD TO FIND A DANG JOB!). I started getting back on again, but learned moderation and to remember that I am seeing a projection of the positives and not the grand picture. I didn't see the drama that took place before the photo or the delayed flight after the trip to the Grand Canyon. I wasn't witnessing the kid that had a full meltdown and threw her book at her teacher after her teacher bragged on her sweet class, nor do I see the deep marriage problems building behind the gushy posts about the flowers received (#blessed!). I'm really not trying to be snarky, but it is usually more often true than not.

After scrolling around and seeing some examples of this, I felt like taking a stroll down memory lane and started looking through old pictures I have been tagged in or posted. That is when I realized that "Wow, I have lived a lot of life". That I have. I looked at pictures of numerous camping trips, of me and my husband forging knives, to pictures from my missions trip out West that I spent with amazing people. I saw pictures of myself with a variety of people; friends, acquaintances, and my loving family. I saw little chronicles of my many blessings all in a stream on my Facebook. I also remembered harder times that lingered between each photo, but the happy experiences maintained prominence until the gaps seemed to vanish.

You may not have as many "bucket list worthy" memories, nor a lot of friends or family, or you may have more positive moments in your life so far than most people ever hope to see in their entire lifetimes. Either way, there are treasures to find. Your day-to-day living is not in vain. As long as you are moving toward something greater than yourself and you are doing your best to love your loved ones and to adapt after your pitfalls, you are doing what you need to do. In your life right now, you are exactly where you need to be. You are a work in progress, a work that will not be finished until you are finished with this life. If you love God, this scripture may be particularly meaningful to you:

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." - Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

I hate the phrase "everything happens for a reason" (why? Another day, another post), but I do firmly believe instead that as things happen (by our free will or as  result of another's), and we want Him to and let Him, God takes those things and orchestrates them for His purpose and glory. Every moment, whether good, bad, ugly, or just plain dull has meaning and purpose to it. To reference another verse:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)

There are many more affirming verses where that came from. God uses every puzzle piece of our lives to create a masterpiece for His glory. While some parts may feel far too dark to qualify in that endeavor, those undertones allow the brilliance of the high points of your life to glow brighter. You are exactly where you need to be. If you are a child of God and you have allowed Jesus Christ into your life, your life is being guided by Someone greater and will be utilized to the fullest as He refines everything you allow Him to work in. If you are not a follower of Christ, you are not left out of this; your life still has so much value and importance. I want to fully believe that you know that, but just in case, I want to reiterate it anyway: you, as well, are enough, and your life counts. The boring and the thrilling is all important. Remember that when you are sitting at work, wishing your life away until that promotion opportunity comes, or watching as much TV as possible until "the one" comes along. We all have milestones we are eager to get to, and we all want to fill every moment with meaning, but the times of waiting and being ultimately allow for the fullness of life to really shine brightly!