Reckless

Reckless: marked by a lack of proper caution

I've always been somewhat of a reckless person. As a kid I would climb to the very top of our tree house and then jump down without hesitation, while my cousin (more than twice my age- and a boy-) would shimmy down on his bottom as far as possible, and then cry until an adult would come to rescue him.

In the same way I would climb the ladder onto my grandparents' roof and take a running leap into the arms of my dad or grandpa waiting below, never questioning if they would catch me (I'm sure while the women hollered and gasped and cringed in anticipation of my near death).

I never wasted my time fighting girls and went straight for the boys (but only the ones who really deserved it).  As a kid I never found a fence I couldn't jump, a reptile I couldn't catch, or an abandoned building too scary to break into explore.

In my teenage years I took reckless to a new extreme (I'll spare you the details). And now, as an adult, it has calmed down a bit, but occasionally makes an appearance through things like bungee jumping, tattoos, skydiving, moving alone to dangerous and far away lands, and giving rides to strangers (the big, burly, tattooed kind).

For a long time (partly due to the raised eyebrows and disapproving glares) I believed that being an adult means that I must now resist the wild adventure that so sweetly beckons. But when I only do things that are considered safe it feels as though my spirit shrivels. When I get too comfortable the fight in me gets smothered. And when I struggle against the adventure seeking personality that God gave me, I feel as though I will surely implode.

Much of my recklessness has always been about the excitement and rush of danger, but as I grow more into this adult thing, it is more about a hunger to feel and do great big extraordinary things.

NeedtoBreathe put this hunger beautifully to words in their song 'These Hard Times'. These lyrics have literally become my everyday prayer.

Give me something brighter, give me something I can see

Give me something vicious, give me something I can be

Give me all the love and peace to end these wars

Give me something sacred

Something worth fighting for

I am learning that when God gives us passion and vision that can be described as wild, a little recklessness becomes a necessity. And when reckless abandon is for Him alone it becomes less about adrenaline and more about faith (I am still working on this part), and this is when God can really use us to do great big extraordinary things.

When God created me He not only knew that I would have a streak of wild, but He made me this way, on purpose. He made me this way for a purpose. He gave me an inner fight, because there is so much worth fighting for.


Do you have any characteristics or personality traits that make people raise their eyebrows in disapproval or disbelief? Ask Him how these quirks you were created with can be used to do extraordinary things.  It may take some tweaking and molding, but remember, He made you this way for a purpose.