What Are You On?

My wife thought that I had gotten on medication to alter my mood. That is what a transformative affect “bringing the joy” had on my life. This is understandable when you have spent the previous two years going through life like a robot and the eighteen years prior to that as a staunch realist. The glass wasn’t just half full for me, it was overflowing and people were starting to notice. My salt had regained its saltiness. I was the candle on the mantle to light the entire room. I had prayed to God for this. I prayed to be a light in the dark lives of others in hopes of leading others to a fulfilling life.

If you want to develop joy, be a ray of sunshine in someone’s cloudy day.

The Piece of Paper

I started carrying around a printed copy of my Outlook calendar for the week many years ago. It was good to have a piece of paper handy to scratch some quick notes and ideas. After reading Motivation Manifesto, I wrote down Brendon Burchard’s nine declarations on the inside of the fold of the piece of paper. A few month prior to reading Motivation Manifesto, my wife sent me a Bible verse to remind me that though I may be hurting, there is still a great deal of light inside of me, and I needed to let that light shine. The Bible verse: Matthew 5:13-16. I wrote that on that piece of paper as well. “I should try to live my life in a way that shines a light on others and brings glory to God,” I thought to myself.

The piece of paper. Though I go to a non-denominational church now, I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. When you grow up Southern Baptist, you bring your bible to church. An actual leather-bound bible—not the app. To this day, I carry a bible to church. When I want to remember something that the pastor says, I write it down on my piece of paper and refer to it throughout the week. After all, education without application is a dull form of entertainment. In the coming weeks, I would be incredibly pleased that taking notes during church on this piece of paper was a regular practice of mine. It changed my life, and inspired my book, No Law.

Salt of the Earth

One day while I was at work, my wife sent me the bible verse Matthew 5:13-16 via text message. I knew that it was directed at me. I was completely offended. I felt as though she was preaching at me. I completely took it the wrong way. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

It’s a beautiful verse. So positive. And one that I have come to embrace and try to lead my life by. The only thing that I could see were the negative statements within the verse. I felt like the salt that had lost its flavor and was being thrown out to be trampled under the feet of others. I continued down the spiral of depression. Today, I realize that she wanted me to be the light. She knew there was light in me, I just was not “putting it on the stand” to share with the house and those around me. I was not using my “saltiness” to provide spice to the lives of others. My wife is wise.