Playing it safe. Making ‘smart’ choices. Going with the option that I knew would not lead to failure. Staying well within my, and everyone else’s, comfort zone. Responsible.
I spent the first two decades of my life making choices through the above filters. Doing things that might not be successful, safe, or comfortable seemed irresponsible. Right…? Maybe. But, in this decade of life, the lesson God is teaching me is we don’t find Jesus in the safe and responsible. We find Him in the messy. In the situations that seem to cross that line- so blended into grey areas- and are downright hard. Those situations where you think “There is truly no right answer or fix for this, now what??”
My kids have tried out for solos, all star teams, track teams, gifted classes and not made it. And I am so, so proud of them for it. Because, I did not do anything that success wasn’t a guarantee. The fact that they have failed means they have tried hard things. Were they probably scared? Absolutely! But their crazy momma has taught them it is ok to do hard things scared. And that failing once does not equal failure. Because, they tried out for another solo (or two!) and rocked it! They have continued playing that same sport and get better with each day.
We walked into an open adoption situation, knowing the potential for our kids (and us!) to feel sadness and experience a broken heart was very real. But, had we not walked forward, we would be missing out on one of the sweetest parts of our families story ever. Had we avoided a relationship with Ava Kate’s birthmommy because we were scared, we would be missing out on one of the most precious journeys I’ve ever been on. We would all be missing out on a relationship that has brought so much joy to not just AK but to our whole family.
When I hear excuses from people about why they don’t do insert scary thing here, they almost annoy me. And then I have to remember that getting here was a process. Your laundry list of reasons to stay on the shore is holding you back from so many beautiful things God has for you.
“There’s a difference in being too scared to do hard things and doing hard things scared” – Shannan Martin, Falling Free
When we are scared or stressed, we tend to default to fight/flight/or freeze. Our brains are made that way. Our response to hard things is a natural reaction to run/push away or not move forward. But, I challenge you to do the scary stuff. And when you fail, don’t quit doing the scary stuff. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and before you know it, you might just find yourself knee-deep in the messy stuff and just maybe closer to Jesus than you’ve ever been. ❤️
The Brooks Family 