LEARNING TO BE ADVENTEROUS

I have never been a very adventurous person. I don’t like to try new things or skills, for fear of being embarrassed. All my decisions and plans are very well thought out (probably too thought out), so as to ensure nothing is going to blindside me. I want to be able to feel confident, and understand every aspect of what I am doing in a given situation (FYI, this is not possible). I don’t enjoy going out of my comfort zone, but instead would rather stay in the safety of that limited circle. Sure, I’ll never grow as a person, but who needs growth or to become more well-rounded, anyway? Apparently, the Lord thought I did because he hit me with some intense adventures in the year 2017.

First off, I was switched from teaching Junior Primary to Senior Primary. For those of you who are not of my faith, Junior Primary is classes for children anywhere from four to seven years old, and Senior Primary is classes for children anywhere from eight to eleven years old. In Junior Primary, I taught the sweetest seven-year olds. Ever. They gave me hugs, they liked the treats I made each week, one of the little boys even told me when he thought I looked pretty! (See, who needs a boyfriend 😉). I loved my sweet class, and teaching them was not a super stressful calling. The lessons I was asked to teach each week were pretty straight forward, and very difficult to mess up (even for me). Maybe I wasn’t the greatest teacher in the world, but there wasn’t any way I was going to lead them astray by teaching them incorrectly, because the simple principles they were learning were right on my level. It felt like the perfect calling for me, and I never wanted to leave.

Then, at the beginning of this year, I was given my new calling of teaching the eight to eleven year old girls in my church. I was terrified! The lessons they had were so much more in depth than anything I had ever had to teach before. Many of the principles in the lessons I did not feel confident enough to teach about, and the girls often had questions that I could not answer (Are you smarter than an eleven year old?). Plus, the girls were for sure going to remember my lessons! If you mess up with the little kids, you can bank on the fact that after you give them a treat, there is an 85% they won’t remember what you said. My new class had memories like elephants, and I was terrified as I tried to teach them. I felt so overwhelmed, so inadequate, and did not know how I was going to complete this task.

The lesson I have learned many, many times over the past couple of years is that the Lord never brings us to a trial that he isn’t willing to help us through. The Lord felt confident in my ability to teach these girls, and I needed to trust him and his plan for me (Although, I was for sure he was wrong on this one). As I prayed and asked for help in preparation, and for sure in teaching my lessons, I could feel the Lord’s hand in that classroom, and in my life. I was given answers to the girls difficult questions, and guided on what to prepare that would teach them best. I grew so much as person as I taught that class. I learned how to deal with sometimes sassy children (treats + bribery is always the answer), I became (slightly) more patient, and my knowledge of the Gospel grew ten-fold. Looking back now, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to teach those sweet girls. They are for sure one of my favorite classes I have ever taught.

The second adventure that came this year happened as I was signing up for classes in May. My counselor stated that I needed to take a PE credit in order to fulfil my general requirements. As she read the list of available classes, my stomach dropped to the floor. At BYU, they had so many options for athletic courses. Jogging, stretching, aerobics, swimming, basketball, and countless others. I don’t remember all of the classes my counselor rattled off that May afternoon, but somehow the class I got stuck with was Zumba. That’s right, the girl with zero rhythm was somehow going to have to pass a Zumba class.

Luckily, I had the summer to distract my mind from the impending doom that was coming in the fall. However, as all summers do, it went by too quick, and before I knew it I was waiting outside of my first Zumba class. I had been able to comfort myself (slightly) in the fact that Zumba was a popular course, so I could probably hide in the back where no one would see my horrible dancing (I don’t think the sprinkler makes an appearance in Zumba). To my horror, as we walked into the classroom, there were only eleven students in the class, and I had somehow ended up in the front row. Great, now everyone can see my lack of talent (seriously, there is a reason I was always in the back of the cheerleading formation). Slowly but surely, as the semester went on, students began to drop out of the class, and there ended up only being five people in the class. Including me! It was like fate was conspiring against me.

Despite my total lack of rhythm and terrible dance moves, that Zumba class was one of the most fun classes I have ever taken. As the semester progressed I began to care less and less about what people thought (although I probably should have cared even more), and instead focused on how much fun I was having. It was so nice to have a class where I didn’t have to focus on papers and assignments, but instead could just feel the stress leaving my body. Did I get better at dancing? No. Not by a long shot. I was able to grow as a person, though, and not take myself so seriously. I am forever indebted to that Zumba class. Who would have seen that coming?

Sometimes the Lord brings us to challenges that make us uncomfortable. We have to step outside our little bubble of safety, and into the unknown. It can be so scary! However, each time we do, we grow a little bit more, and become a little bit better of a person. Plus, the Lord is there to help us the entire way. Whether it is by giving us the confidence to walk into a Zumba class, or giving us guidance in teaching young children. As we turn to him for strength during our scary times, he can make our weaknesses become strengths (or maybe weaknesses just become less of weaknesses), and help us to become more well-rounded people. Now, I don’t think I am going to be one of those people who jumps at the next adventure that comes my way, but I hope that I can always remember these lessons, and take that small leap of faith into the unknown.

#school #faith #fun