This I Believe

I work with the young women at church ages 12-18 and more specifically the 14-15 year olds. This year, the church-wide theme for the youth is from 1 Timothy 4:12 - "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I was looking for a theme for a particularly important activity that was based on being a believer. My good friend Karli inspired me with what her young women group did in Oregon by having women in their ward come in once a month and read a This I Believe statement , based off of a 1950s radio series hosted by acclaimed journalist, Edward R. Murrow, which was revived by NPR in 2005. I asked three women in our ward to read what they believed. I also asked the young women leaders and the young women to write a This I Believe statement to display that night. It was amazing to see how we are all so different yet we have many of the same values (beyond the obvious religious associations) like education, being your best self, and having courage. Karli posted her This I Believe statement on her blog and I always want to be like Karli so I'm posting mine too. Oh! Check out her statement here - http://www.wintersteam.org/winterskids/2009_05_01_archive.html

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear. – Mark Twain

A girl from my high school once said to me, and I can still see her saying it clearly because it has stuck with me, “I don’t try anything unless I know I’m going to be good at it.” I felt sorry for her then and I feel even sorrier for her now because the best experiences in my life have come from trying things I wasn’t sure I could do.

I played Little League baseball with boys because there wasn’t a girls’ league. My mom was worried I would get hurt but I wanted to do it anyway. I was teased, called a tomboy, scraped knees and elbows, and got knocked unconscious. Other parents complained that a girl shouldn’t be playing with boys. I learned that I could do anything boys could do and sometimes I could do it better. But first I had to try.

Sports continued to play an important part in my life and frequently tested my courage. I tried out for a select basketball team to travel to a national tournament. I made it. But first I had to try.

I wanted to play college volleyball but no colleges offered me a scholarship. If I was going to play I was going to have to walk on a team. And I did. But first I had to try.

At a young age I discovered a love of music. Music lifted my soul and expressed emotions that words could never describe. As much as I loved to sing, my voice did not match the feelings I wanted to communicate. In college I took a voice class with ten other students. I discovered that with some instruction and practice I could change my voice. After several years of lessons and hours of practice, my voice finally began to reflect the feelings my soul had longed to express. But first I had to try.

At twenty years old I made plans to either serve a mission or attend graduate school. However, I met a young man that I knew I wanted to marry. But marriage would mean changing my after-graduation goals. After much prayer and fasting, I knew what the Lord wanted of me. I worried about giving up on my goals for marriage and a family. I had to try the Lord’s plan for me.

Having the courage try also means having the courage to fail. When it happens it’s hard and heart breaking but I’ve learned far more about myself and other people through failure than success. I have survived a 2-18 basketball season. I ran track for four years and the only race I ever won was when there was one other girl and she had a crooked leg. I applied for scholarships I didn’t get. I have auditioned for the Sound of Music three times and never gotten a part. I made my college volleyball team as a freshman only to be cut as a junior. But I had to try.

I have tried sewing, crocheting, dance, racquetball, horseback riding, painting, student government, Spanish, art history, sociology, hiking, camping, water skiing, video games, FFA, Jr. Miss, and half a dozen other activities, organizations, and crafts. I have liked some and hated others. I am good at some and horrible at others. Looking back I have found I do not regret the times I tried. I regret when I did not find the courage, when I let fear govern my actions. The semester I didn’t study abroad, the girl I didn’t sit next to because she was different, the time I didn’t share the gospel with a friend, or when I simply made a wrong choice.

This I Believe…the courage to try enriches our lives and makes us a better version of ourselves. Having courage doesn’t mean we’re not afraid but that we don’t let fear dictate who we are and who we will become. Sometimes I succumb to fear but I continue to strive for courage. But first I have to try.