Back in undergrad (my friends LOVE when I call college ‘undergrad’, because it sounds pretentious. Ha!), there was an apartment of boys that I became good friends with. Good enough friends that our apartments were so close together that we strung a can phone from our window to theirs. Yes, you read that right. A can phone. You know, where there are two empty tin cans on each end of a taut string that you can speak through? If you ever wondered if that could actually work, well you have mine and about 11 other people’s word that it does! Nonetheless, I was friends with this apartment. I would spend a lot of evenings over there. One evening (more like night, because it was probably around midnight… oh to be young again), one of the boys was having girl problems and we were all hearing about it. The problem was something along the lines of boy likes girl, boy wasn’t sure girl liked him, boy was stuck. (Classic, right? I mean, it can go both ways). Some of us were offering up advice, but our friend wasn’t really taking much of it. One of the guys in that apartment, who I affectionately named Kelvie (I will not disclose his real name to protect him from Identity Fraud, which is running rampant on the line) (Kelvie, if you are reading this, I hope you don't mind :)), who tended to be elusive, yet easy-going fun guy, blurted out the best, most universal and succinct advice I have ever heard. “Bust a move and find out.” We looked at Kelvie for an explanation. “Just make a move and see how she reacts. What do you have to lose?” We ask ourselves that sometimes when we face a decision… what do we have to lose? Sometimes, we don’t feel like we have anything, but sometimes we have a lot to lose, or what we perceive that we are going to lose. Especially in relationships, taking risks makes us scared. Makes us feel vulnerable. And who wants to be those two things? In a society where asking for help is a sign of weakness, coupled with “you can do it on your own” attitude, doesn’t allow for a lot of risk taking. Where success is measured only by if we achieve the best outcome of that risk. When we don’t hit that mark, we are considered a failure. Who wants to risk when there is a very low percentage of (perceived) success? Not a lot of people. So, then what? Should this friend of mine “bust a move and find out?” If he does, he could potentially receive an outcome that would come to the desired outcome of dating this girl, or he would be turned down. Is the risk worth it? Yes. Yes, it is. And here is why. Let’s break down the woman with the issue of blood story from the New Testament. Mark 5, starting in verse 25: 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, Woah. Lots of years of suffering. Maybe we can equate her physical suffering to one of our own trials. 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, She had done all that she could. 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. She took action. A step of faith. A risk. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. Blessings! 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. She was afraid to take the risk, but she made the move, despite the risks. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Blessings! Let’s break this down and see the pros and cons to this scenario (Jami! We should have bout that pro/con list when we had the chance!).
What did the woman have to lose?
To this woman with an issue of blood, there was a greater potential that something wonderful could happen! The risk of the gain outweighed the possibility of not trying. In the end, she reaped very a poignant blessings for her. She risked. She acted on faith. Can we surmise that taking risks is akin to acting on faith? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). We don’t see the outcome. We don’t know what will happen when we bust a move. But our faith that something good could come out of it. That little could, ignites our willingness to try. Are we willing to trust “in His (Christ’s) infinite power, intelligence, and love?” (True to the Faith) Through our righteousness, He is always there to buoy us up. He makes things go right, He helps us when things go wrong. He wants us to be the best version of ourselves. We learn to rely on Him, even when our natural instinct is to “do it on our own.” Just like the woman with the issue of blood who did everything in her power she could. Then she was willing to try something that she had only heard, but maybe never seen happen before. She trusted. She had faith. She took a risk. We are asked to take a step into the dark and trust in the Savior’s power. If we take that step, something better than we could have ever imagined can change our lives. If we want our lives to be the best it can be, why not try? Just try? Why not fight for changes in our lives that it can be more fulfilling, more exciting, more vibrant? What is one thing in your life that you want? Are you willing to take a risk, to get out of your comfort zone? Will you let yourself grow through vulnerability? I would like to add onto Kelvie’s wise advice: Bust a move, find out and own it. What do you’ve got to lose? “Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely and we’re left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the worst that can happen or we can step forward into the unknown and assume it will be brilliant.” -Christina Yang, Grey’s Anatomy
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single.The Ability to Be Whole and Complete on My Own Archives
April 2017
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