Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust

Prologue:

One of my current jobs is substitute teaching and most days, especially when I'm filling in at a junior high or high school, I have a lot of empty time to kill. The first few weeks I blasted through a handful of books but then decided I need to take advantage of these precious hours with few distractions so I've started bringing an Ensign (a monthly LDS magazine) to work instead. The quotes from this post are based off of the article A Time For Faith Not Fear.

My Demanding Personality:

People who have spent time with me know that I like my life planned out. I like knowing what to expect and the details of what is going on around me. 

Information is my security.

Above everything else in my life, this applies the most to my relationships. 

I am the queen of DTRs.

Social limits keep me fairly contained but if I had my choice I'd want an hourly update on my relationship statuses.

You can see why the idea of dating someone new or making myself vulnerable without what I feel to be adequate information makes me more than a little bit antsy.

A Time For Faith, Not Fear:

I've been drilled in lessons of faith over fear my entire life but reading this article, something clicked differently than it ever had before. I was reminded of a conversation with my roommate when I'd commented on a guy I was interested in but already thought it would never work out. She told me I needed to stop thinking that way and go for it as if I expected a triumphant result.

Or something like that.

At that moment I resolved to go for the gold and be more giving and vulnerable in this relationship than I had in the past, in hopes that I would be rewarded with a positive outcome. 

A time for faith, not fear.

"Most of us naturally long for security and clarity in life, but there must be some uncertainty to allow us to use our agency to grow. There is no freedom without agency, and there is no true agency without some risk. Therefore, there is no true freedom without some risk, some uncertainty."

Each time we put faith before fear, we are growing.

It's not always going to work out. The trails aren't always clear and the sun doesn't always shine.

BUT--

"Facing a trial builds faith and confidence."

"Rapids are a part of our journey. Sometimes they may even upset the boat. But navigating the rapids of life brings a great sense of accomplishment and exhilaration we would miss if we got out and waited on the bank. The rapids really are the best part."

Closing Statement:

As we put faith before fear in our relationships (and in life in general), as we work our way through trials, we are making ourselves infinitely stronger and better.

The most important part is that we act. We stand tall and go for it.

"Answers to prayer and solutions to problems generally come as we act."

Now go show 'em what you've got.