Kristie asked me what my word for 2016 is. I didn’t know what that meant, but as I thought about it one phrase came to mind- Real Try.
One of my favorite things about blogging it that it has helped me be a better disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s Friday Night, home from a date, I’m looking in One Note for my list of upcoming Blog Posts as the boys play Minecraft. I come across an uncategorized note titled Real Try.
There is phrase that Al Fox Carraway uses in her book and when she speaks. She refers to “your real try.” It really resonated with me when I saw her speak a few months ago.
But what you need to know is that if you just try, your real try, you will end up in places you never would have thought, doing things you never would have dreamed, becoming better, becoming the person Heavenly Father has wanted you to become all along.
I totally identified with the idea of the real try. We have all been there. We are given a task that seems impossible, or we simply do not want to do. We put in the absolute minimum effort just to be able to say “well, I tried”. I can’t tell you how many times I have told Kristie, “Sorry honey, that desk you found on the side of the road just doesn’t seem to fit in the car. Well, I tried.” (She has a thing for restoring roadside treasures.)
I think maybe my diminished meaning of the word try comes from my love of Star Wars. (Other Star Wars Posts) We all know the scene on Dagobah where Luke’s X-Wing sinks into the swamp. Yoda tells him to lift it out using the force to which Luke responds, “Alright, I’ll give it a try” is a resigned tone.
As a member of the generation who was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood during the 90’s I take most of the words of Yoda as doctrine. When he says “Do or do not, there is no try,” it seemed to make sense to me. There is a difference though, between try and real try.
The Real Try is putting forth all your effort. It is going forward in faith and expecting to succeed; that even if you fall short, God will help you. We don’t make the attempt to check the box, but we make the attempt because even in the trying we grow. This year I am setting the wisdom of Yoda aside and choose to adopt the encouraging words of Al Fox to put forth my real try.
I am going to eat food I have never tried, go places I have never been, and try (my real try) to follow the teachings and council of Jesus Christ and his Apostles in ways I might have struggled with in the past. 2016 is going to be a great year and when 2017 arrives, I’ll be even closer to being the person Heavenly Father has wanted me to become all along.
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