A life worth living

I just finished reading a book that I recommend to everyone. Because of my time at Mars Hill, being a part of the community there, and my years spent in Grand Rapids, I was aware of the events recorded in this book as they took place. Although I am not an acquaintance of the author, the story holds a dear place in my heart. It's a story of adventure, of destiny, of fulfillment, of tragedy, of faith, and of doubt. It's a story about life, about the life we were meant to live.
Below is a passage from the book that expresses just many of the thoughts I've been pondering recently. As I prepare to end my time in Israel and return home, I wonder what the next step in my journey will look like. What is in store for me? I still long for adventure and a journey on a road less traveled. Yet healing needs to take place first. My current journey has been exhausting yet I cannot imagine living "comfortably" after living in a place like this. I have been changed. I only hope that the next step will take me to a place where I am fulfilling the life I was created to live.
Take to heart the words below...

"There are things in this life that are far worse than death. A grave awaits each of us, and in the grand scheme of things, is being alive for eighty years really any longer than eighteen years? Our life is just a breath, whether we die old and gray or young and vibrant. When death comes for us, it will not matter how many years we managed to preserve our existence but rather what we did with the short time we were given on this earth.
The most horrible and terrifying thing that I can imagine isn’t that I would put all that I am on the line for a cause I believe in and then be called on it. The most horrible and terrifying thing is the thought that I could spend my whole existence minimizing the risks I take, living ignorantly convinced of my safety, rejecting the purpose I was created for, and then someday wake up an old man and see that my life has passed before me, and now with death knocking on my door realize that in all my years I have never truly lived.
We each have a destiny, a legend that only we can live. To embrace it is scary and dangerous, and most choose not to. Most put it off until tomorrow, until after high school, until after college, until after establishing a financial base. Can’t they see? We only get one shot at this life. Tomorrow may never come. The time is now! Not to drop everything and move to Africa, but to find the passion that is inside us and embrace it, to listen to its subtle whispers…" ~Erik Mirandette. The Only Road North