I recently saw a Nelson Mandela quote that really stuck with me:

It speaks straight to my soul.

I’ve been asking myself, what would it be like if I made all choices in my life based on hope, instead of allowing anxious thoughts to fill my head?

I think this is different than being optimistic. To me optimism means thinking ‘oh I’m sure everything will turn out alright,’ which is not how I understand the meaning of this quote. To me, acting based on hope instead of fear means that if I’m debating a big life decision, such as a career (for example), I should make the decision based on what I hope to achieve instead of being too intimidated by a difficult path to go after what I want. Of course, this idea could be applied to much smaller decisions as well.

I think this is about chasing after dreams of all sizes.

In parenting I apply this every day.

For example, it’s easier to stay home with Clara every single night. It’s almost never easy to go out with her, or even without her. However, Tim and I hope to build relationships and friendships and go on date nights and have some fun, so we put aside fears of, ‘what if she screams and the babysitter gets upset or has a miserable time’ and go out to live our lives and accomplish what we hope to achieve in our marriage and other relationships.

Small example, yes, but it’s about not allowing fears to get in the way of any decision.

I find this quote refreshing. It reminds me to live a life I’m passionate and excited about without creating boundaries and invisible barriers. It reminds me not to live in the land of ‘what ifs.’ It reminds me to let God take control of my life and to chase after Him and His plans for me, without worrying.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

Does this quote speak to you?