Connecting

I don't want to live a life of death. As one of my favorite songs says, "It's not the stuff that kills you/keeps your life at bay"
Yet everywhere I turn, people are begging me to join them in their dead lives. Do we think we'll feel more alive if we can get one more on our side? That if we can quench the God-given spirit within another, it will make our coldness feel warmer?
And how do we get out of the habit of letting others steal our light? How do we maintain gracious love, while keeping our identities as beautifully created children of the Father of all?
I have sunk so low in this journey of joy. I have flown into the glass time and again, hoping the next window will really be open. I have soared high on the dreams of service and fulfillment. But still all too often I strap the chains around my own ankles, and keep people in my life who will pass harsh judgment and execute condemnation.
When will my heart truly be free?