Inspiring Risk

     Yesterday was a really productive day at my home (which is why I didn’t post anything). I wasable to do some yard work, clean the garage, and put up some Christmas lights. In addition, my wife made some really tasty turkey noodle soup from the turkey she made for Thanksgiving. If you knew my wife you would be shocked by this last statement. Her cooking is somewhat of an anomaly. That isn’t meant as a jab towards her. She would be the first to acknowledge that she’s no Martha Stewart (pre-prison days). I will say that when she cooks (we’re talking like a couple times a year) it is always super tasty!

     Before you think I’m some kind of jerk for saying all that I want to add that it doesn’t bother me that she doesn’t cook. I knew long before we got married that this wasn’t something she liked to do. It also doesn’t help that she lived with her Nana (her grandmother) when we were dating and her food is hands down my favorite (well….it might be a tie between her Nana and her mom’s). We both take responsibility in trying to literally put food on the table. When people find out that we don’t cook and wonder what we eat every day (especially since we have kids), we often look at each other and laugh because we don’t know either (no, we’re not a top ramen family….although I think it's delicious).

     Thanksgiving evening we decided that it would be in our best interest that we refrain from joining the masses as they scratched and clawed their way to grab that black Friday deal, and instead decided to watch a movie called Chef. If you haven’t seen this movie I recommend you rent it or possibly even purchase it. I won’t give you all the details, but the movie follows a chef played by Jon Favreau who suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity. I’m not critic when it comes to movies, but I was really impressed with every aspect of the movie. But I was mostly impressed by how inspirational it was. When the movie ended my wife and were not only hungry by having our taste buds triggered by the delicious food that was made in the film, but we were also inspired.

     Obviously, my wife was inspired to whip up that turkey noodle soup after taking a risk in making a delicious turkey the day prior. It’s in those risks where we meet unknown challenges and figure out ways to overcome them, but it’s also in those risks that we discover new things about our character, our perseverance, and our ability to do something we’ve never done before. My wife would be the first to say that she is no chef. But it doesn’t mean that she can’t be one (and a really good one at that). She obviously made this Thanksgiving a very memorable one for our family. I was so proud of her effort, but I was even more proud of her taking a risk. Risks can often cause us to be fearful. But it’s in the risk where we discover that there is more inside of us that needs to be discovered and released. The interesting thing about that is that God already knows it’s there and He’s made it available for us to discover it if we want to take that risk.

     You may not be as inspired as I was watching this film, but my hope is that whenever you have the feeling of inspiration that you aren’t quick to shut it off or dismiss it. For those that actually read this blog, you know that this started off as an opportunity for me to share what God is doing in my life. This has been one of the risks I’ve taken in my life. I was never a good writer, my English/writing scores were always very low, and my reading comprehension scores were even lower. But I decided to take a risk and see what happened. It’s not a huge risk for me, but it’s a risk nonetheless. If there is any inspiration found in this one little post it’s that I’m not writing for me, but for those who need something a little extra today.

I pray you continue to discover what God has placed in you.

I pray that you would take the risk even though it might be challenging.

And I pray that you know that in those risks that you can be an inspiration to those around you.