Flawed But Forgiven

My oldest child joined the church youth group on a lake trip over the summer. One of the activities they took part in was cliff diving, and in response to the hesitation of many of the kids, the saying “Shut up and jump” became their motto. Later that evening, while sharing their testimonies with one another, when someone was hesitant to speak they group would say, “Shut up and jump.”

Brilliant!

Like the kids standing and peering over the cliff contemplating everything that could possibly go wrong if they decided to make the jump, nine times out of ten its fear that holds us back. Fear of the unknown.

“But what if it hurts?”

“But what if I embarrass myself?”

“But what if people laugh at me?”

“But what if I my actions cause someone else pain?”

“But what if it doesn’t work?”

“But what if its the wrong choice?”

“But what if it causes more people to notice me?”

“But what if people think I’m a moron?”

“But what if I fall flat on my face?”

“But what if I don’t succeed?”

“But what if prove that I’m a failure?”

“But what if they wont accept me?”

“But what if I put myself out there and nobody responds?”

“But what if they reject me?”

. . . . should I continue or do you get the point?

And these are just the “But what’s” that came to mind right now. I don’t even want to think about how many others I could come up with if I just gave myself some time. Fact of the matter is, we allow these sentences – these questions, to infiltrate our minds in a constant stream, rolling around and washing our brains in nothing more than negative thoughts and a fear of the unknown.

What if in 2010 we were able to reprogram our minds? What if instead asking “but what” questions we replace them with a new dialogue – one of action rather than speculation. What if we just “shut up and jump”?

Okay, I have an assignment for you. Keep this post open, but open another tab in your Internet browser and go to http://www.flickr.com/. When you arrive there, search for the word “jump”. Tons of pictures will come up. I then want you to scroll through them. How do you feel looking at the pictures? Do you notice a common theme?

Go on. . . I’ll wait.

Welcome back.

For me, when I looked at the pictures I couldn’t help but smile. There’s something about witnessing someone jump that brings me joy. Look at the pictures again, did you seen any where people were frowning while they jumped? Even jumping off a cliff, once the person does it, there’s an immediate sense of satisfaction and thrill – they can’t help but smile.

The pictures are active – of course, jumping is a verb. It is action. It requires the person to make a choice to move – to just “shut up and jump”.

So here you are, at a crossroads. Sitting back in contemplation about what to do, asking yourself all the “But What” questions. The ladies at Flawed But Forgiven have a suggestion for you . . . “Shut up and Jump!”

-Libby