I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my life—where I spend my time, where I don’t, and why that matters. One thing I wrote about some time ago still rings true: people often want you to be successful, just not too successful. Not wildly successful. Not so successful that you stop fitting neatly into their expectations.
I’m very intentional about where I invest my time and energy. I choose spaces and causes because I’m passionate about them, because they align with my heart—not because I feel obligated. Over the years, I’ve had plenty of conversations where people suggested I was obligated to do certain things because of the station I occupy. I’ve always thought differently about that.
My only true obligation is to God—to honor Him. When I search the corridors of my heart and look back over my life, I’m reminded that when you don’t line up with what society says you should do, people form opinions quickly. But here’s what I know: if I had lined up the way society suggested, I wouldn’t have fulfilled God’s purpose for my life. I wouldn’t have had the focus or the freedom to do the work I was called to do—and I’m still doing it.
That clarity has made me deeply conscientious about how and where I spend my time. I don’t outsource that decision to anyone else. I’ve had people try to dictate my choices, or frown because I didn’t show up in certain ways, at certain times, or at levels they expected. And that’s okay.
It takes real confidence to know yourself well enough to go against the current. But sometimes faith requires exactly that.