The Pursuit of Beginnings (Ep9)

Be brave enough to be bad at something new.

It's hard to begin sometimes. The desire is there. We're inspired by experts, convicted by our shortcomings, or simply want to do a new thing. The desire is essential. But then fear can set in.

What if I'm terrible? What if I just can't change? Or learn?

And the excuses come a mile a minute.

There's no time. There's no space. There's no one to teach me. I can't figure this out, I'm not artistic...I'm not athletic....I'm not creative....I'm not disciplined....I'm not whatever.

Sometimes the thing we wanted to do dies there. An unrealized dream, hope, or hobby shriveling up on the vine. Other times that thing seems to haunt us.

It pops up in conversations, in memes on social media, on podcasts and blog posts, and it's all over Pinterest. Maybe the internet is stalking you, but it's highly unlikely your favorite podcaster has actually tapped your conversations. It just feels that way because they're talking about the thing. You know, the thing you only mentioned to your friend. Or not to anyone at all.

Then what do you do?

You begin. And guess what? You're usually terrible!

Don't stop there.

If a seed gave up the moment it was planted because it was terrible at being a flower, we would never have fragrant blooms. If a caterpillar just rolled over and gave up before it even got inside the chrysalis, we'd never have butterflies flitting around. If Shakespeare and Beethoven and Van Gogh had just stopped when they were learning how to read, to play, to paint because it was more ink blots, sour notes, and paint blotches than masterpiece we'd never have Romeo and Juliet, or "Ode to Joy" or Starry Night.

True, you may never become a master. But you'll never be anything if you quit right out of the gate.

Oh, and the naysayers, the people who are "only teasing", or the ones who straight up criticize you, forget 'em. Dont let those words take root. It'll crowd out the seeds you're planting. Don't let their fear of something new or different or good become your reason to be afraid.

After all, everyone was once a beginner. And God loves a beginner with enough grit to keep at it. Need some evidence?

Jesus's mama was an unwed virgin, a total beginner in both marriage and motherhood. God could've picked a seasoned mother of six or seven, but he didn't. He picked Mary.

Samuel was just a child when God started speaking to him. And He didn't start with something easy either like, "Go tell Eli that he's gonna win the lottery tomorrow." No, it was "Go tell Eli that his sons will die because they have defiled the priesthood and you looked the other way." Yikes. But Samuel the newbie was faithful and God anointed kings and delivered many a message through him.

And then there's Peter. Peter is maybe the most beginnery beginner to ever begin. Impetuous, impulsive, and sometimes a little dense, he was a brand new recruit when Jesus called him as a disciple. Peter was a fisherman. He'd never followed a rabbi before. And yet Jesus chose him. He taught him, rebuked him when needed, and loved him so entirely that Peter eventually went on to change the world with the gospel of Christ.

Yeah, God's okay with beginners. Even beginners who are terrible. We can't all be Samuel and hit it out of the park on the first try. Some of us are more like Peter.

And maybe your thing isn't religious, it's not spiritual, it doesn't seem like a Jesus thing at all. Perhaps it's not. Or perhaps you're not looking at it from the right angle.

Are you interested in something artistic or creative? God gave us beauty to nourish our souls and our senses. He is the Creator and made us creators in his image. Embroidery, sketching, painting, sidewalk chalk....if you're making something beautiful you are doing what God would do.

Are you interested in something more athletic? God created the human body to run, jump, play, explore, combat, and adventure. He gave us muscles to flex and energy to expend. When we engage our bodies, we're using the very thing be created out of dust and breathed life into. This can even be worship.

Are you interested in cooking? God gave us taste buds and filled the world with all sorts of different things to taste and see that it is good. Jesus himself prepared a breakfast of fish for his friends after his Resurrection. If Jesus takes a minute to prepare a meal for his friends, your newfound interest in culinary arts can certainly be a God thing.

Are you interested in organization and order? Yes, even that can be a God thing. After all, He is the God of order and not of chaos. He built structure and design into the universe and all the minituiae within. Your newfound hobby for organizing or spreadsheets is a reflection of God.

My friend, whatever it is, I challenge you to go after it. Even if it feels silly. Even if it feels unimportant. Even if you've tried before and failed.

2020 is supposed to be the year I explore the word "new". I'm working on it and it's already quite intriguing and inspiring. But, it also seems to be the year I learn to do things I always thought I couldn't do. I'm running and exercising even though I'm not athletic. I'm slowly teaching myself to sketch, even though I'm not artistic. I keep drawing these quirky pictures of woodland animals who stand upright and play folk instruments. I don't care if it's not picture book perfect yet or if anyone thinks it's silly or weird. I'm learning a new thing. And in the spring, I want to plant a garden.

(Side note: You can stand by for A Secret Garden episode in the spring because I can't even daydream about planting a garden without songs from the musical bursting in. What? You didn't know there was a musical based on The Secret Garden? Well, you will if I get the chance to monologue about it here.)

But I don't have a green thumb and everything I plant typically dies for lack of care or proper understanding. Still, this year, the imagery of seeds, roots, and growth keeps pounding like an unrelenting drum. And I just feel like this is one of those interactive metaphors from God. One of the ones you gotta literally dig into to get the full fruit of it.

So 2020 the year of new, the year of doing things I cannot do, the year where I can't be afraid to be bad at something new, or just stop because it's hard and I'm bad at it.

Join me in the pursuit of beginning. It's always better to know you're not alone in the pursuit of new things and being bad at them. And it's even better when the work pays off, and you can say you conquered the new thing. You can do it now.

Next week, we'll talk about what happens when you fall off the horse and need a break.

Gather the Good

In this episode, my best friend Marybeth gave us her take on Gather the Good. She shares about the beauty of deep conversation, experiencing live music, adventuring in the mountains, and photo journaling. Goodness is everywhere, we just have to gather it!