Life Is Risky

Hi blog readers! I am back again with a July blog! I love this space to reflect on all that I’m learning. 

Yesterday, my sister and I got back from our trip to Nebraska, where we attended workshops about the stock market and how to achieve financial stability. It was definitely inspiring to be around so many ambitious students from across the nation. Despite our different residencies, majors, and lifestyles, we all shared the common thread of being a Hagan scholar. The rigorous application process and semester submittals required to maintain the scholarship united us all and created a sense of unity. 

On the trip, I received motivation to continue to take finances seriously, as well as inspiration for how to invest in my future. Further, as always, I learned life lessons that went beyond finances. 

1. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from trying. 

One thing about me is that I don’t like failure, rejection, or wasting time. My sister and I had a conversation about this this past week. 

With practice, she has become comfortable going up and introducing herself to new people. I’ve personally seen her practice this and overcome all the fears that accompany approaching someone for the first time. 

I, on the other hand, have found myself refusing to do this. Breanna helped me uncover why this is so. 

The reason is because if there is any perceived negative risk associated with something, I tend to run in the opposite direction. 

But what I am realizing is that risk is a double-sided coin. When trying to make new friends, there is a risk that they may not reciprocate your kindness. However, there is also the possibility that they will. In this case, you risk missing out on a friendship if you let fear stop you from initiating a conversation. 

That’s not to say that you should spend all your time pursuing new friendships or feel bad if you accidentally let fear take the lead every now and then. Everyone experiences this, and God’s grace is vast enough to cover our mistakes. 

God used this week to show me the importance of being motivated by love rather than fear. There is no fear in love because perfect love casts out all fear. 

When motivated by love (God’s love), there is little risk with many decisions you make. You are free to pursue friendships, passions, and dreams from a place of security, knowing that the outcome doesn’t taint your self-worth. With your identity secure in Christ, rejection of any kind can mean very little besides God’s protection or redirection. 

On the other hand, fear can be crippling and shut down all possible chances of connection. 

When taking a chance on a new friendship or passion, it is true that the worst thing could happen, but the best possible outcome is also equally likely. Further, the outcome could land somewhere in the middle ground. 

If you never take a chance, you might protect yourself from failure in a sense, but you also squash a shot at success. 

No matter whether my day was marked by fear or love, though, my faith in God allows me to lay down at night, knowing that He is sovereign even over this, whatever “this” may be for that day. 

In the ruins of my wrecked expectations, at the end of the day, it’s His dream for my life that I really want. 

2. Invest in Your Faith While You Are Young

Something that has also been on my mind is faith as a young adult. It’s during this time that you get to decide for yourself how much you want faith to be a part of your life. This is an important decision to make, as it will dictate every other area of your life, including your relationships, friendships, career, and sense of self. 

If you choose to filter your life through the lens of faith, then things become both easier and harder. 

Easier in the sense that you know what matters and what doesn’t, but harder in the fact that you will be going against a lot of what is preached in the media and world. 

This is why surrounding yourself with good company and having good role models is imperative.

It’s very hard work to ask yourself if your motives are pure and if you are truly living your call as a Christian. It can also be quite scary and isolating. I totally get it, and I am still figuring out what this means for me. 

God doesn’t want us to be lukewarm because He knows how hard it is. It’s like trying to mix oil and water. 

Still, our stories should never be marked by shame. God was delighted to save us, and He delights in our sanctification as we sift through the good, godly, secular, and satanic things in this life.

Here is a quote that I saw this week that was quite thought-provoking. 

At the workshops I attended this past week, there was much talk about how investing your money now will lead to greater gain in the future. 

I couldn't help but think that this is true in our personal life as well, especially in regards to faith. What could investing in your faith now look like? 

It could look like pre-deciding a few things about how you will live your life. It could mean that you decide not to put your worth into your appearance, intellect, and anything else before you get the thing that you want- whether that be a spouse, a job promotion, etc. 

How could this yield a profit in the future? Well, it won’t save you from trials, but it will allow you to be able to better regulate yourself during them. You’ll know Who to turn to in moments of hardship, as well as what the Truth says despite your fleeting emotions. 

Investing in the stock market is a skill that you have to learn and practice. Experts say, the earlier you do so, the better. The same is true with living out your faith and working through the hard things with Jesus. 

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 King James Version (KJV)

By allowing your faith to wash over these things now, you will spare yourself the pain of trying to work through body image concerns or identity crises as you navigate marriage, parenthood, job changes, etc. in the future. 

Further, you’ll develop the skill of going to Jesus, the firmest foundation out there, for everything. 

There is not a better skill you could cultivate. 

Just as investing in the stock market can be risky, so, too, is choosing to center your life on Christ. 

Following Jesus may require you to say no to a lot. And you’ll certainly experience the risk of rejection from the world. 

However, everything you need comes from Jesus. And the sooner you invest your life in Him, the bigger bang you’ll get for your buck. 

Even if all you have to give right now is a mustard seed, you can move mountains. 

I’d say that’s a pretty good return on your investment. 

All that's left is to ask yourself is:

Is following Jesus worth everything you're scared of losing? Are you willing to risk everything for Him? 

Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:39 (NIV)

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I have also been thinking a lot about how important a person’s 20s are. There is no manual telling you what timeline will be yours. It’s a time of self-exploration and discovery. For me, I’ve learned a lot about energy, the importance of viewing myself holistically, and having good role models. 

Energy

As I have mentioned countlessly before, where you put your energy is important to consider. You can spend your time worrying, insulting yourself, and picking apart all the flaws of this life, or you can choose to do something more positive with your time. 

Of course, there is a time and place to address fears and genuine concerns, and it is healthy to do so. 

When an issue really needs to be addressed, and you cannot get your mind off it, it can be helpful to talk to someone you trust. This can help you see things from an outside perspective and save some spiraling on your part. 

I’ve found that negative energy compounds on itself. If I spend my time worrying, one issue tends to breed another. But if I spend my time on studying, reading, crafting, and creating, cleaning, planning, etc. more positive actions and thought patterns follow. 

Holistic Health

I have really come to see myself as a full person. Being labeled as the “smart” girl in high school came with both its perks and downfalls. Of course, having a good reputation has paid off, but my reputation as one of the smart twins has wreaked some havoc of its own. Going into college, I felt as though I was losing my identity, as I struggled to keep up with all the intelligent kids I was surrounded by. 

I do think that losing my footing was a blessing of sorts. It forced me to question if I would let academics rule my identity or if I would entertain the notion that perhaps I had more to offer the world than my perfect performance in the classroom. 

It’s during this time that I developed my blog, podcast, and cricut business.

Each of these taught me that I am my best self when I can embrace all parts of who I am, including my creativity, analytical skills, and ambition. 

I went to a Tate McRae concert yesterday. Inspired by her stardom, I recently read an article on how she has been able to rise to the top of the music industry. 

As a girl who loves dancing, singing, and producing songs of different tempos, she has found the most success by integrating all 3 into her creative work.

I relate to this notion in my own way, as I have seen that integrating Jesus into all parts of my life- my schooling, my creativity, my hobbies, etc- yields the best results.  

Your Biggest Role Model

Like I mentioned before it can be very helpful to have role models- people who inspire you in whatever capacity of life you want to succeed in. 

However, in all aspects of life, I do think Jesus should be our biggest role model. 

In every scenario, it’s always a good idea to ask yourself “What Would Jesus Do?” 

Remember the WWJD bracelets?

The reason I bring this up is because having a person be your idol is a slippery slope because none of us can escape our humanity. 

If we put all our hope into another person, we may find ourselves crushed when they display weakness or vulnerability. 

For instance, if you look to someone as inspiration for having a positive/neutral body image, yet one day they express dissatisfaction in this area, this could wreak havoc on your own journey if you are not careful. 

Similarly, maybe you look to someone for aesthetic fitness inspiration but then learn later that, despite their physique, internally they are not healthy. 

As a nutrition major, these are examples I resonate with. However, other examples do exist.

Inevitably, people change as they grow, experience new emotions, and gain new experiences. 

We cannot trust our friends, family, or even ourselves to always have the right perspective. 

However, we can trust Jesus. His opinion about us is stable, as is His power. He cannot be moved. He is the most reliable source of affirmation out there. 

That’s all I have for this week. I will leave with this verse and quote that has offered me much comfort recently: 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

This world is not our home, friends. It’s the ache that pulses within you — the cry of the Spirit of the Son for his Abba Father

Emily T Wierenga

Talk to you next week!

~ Bailee Chavez