Once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up!

Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up!

I would tell people my ideas, and they would say, "Roger, you are such a dork!" and I would respond, "I know, isn't it great!" 

My realization came early in my life, mainly because my sister would tell me I was a dork daily. She always said it came out of a place of love. I would respond, "Ok, sure." (We all know what that means).

Speaking of coming out of a place of love, when I was in Jr. High (back in the dark ages, we had Jr. High and not middle school), I had a wrestling coach who also happened to be the P.E. teacher. 

One day, I am not sure exactly what I did, Coach Dufus (Not his real name, but he deserves it) started punching me. He hit me in the head (Which probably explains a few things), hit me in the chest, and punched me in the stomach. 

I said, "Why are you hitting me?"

Coach Dufus responded, "Because I love you."

I said, "Well, don't love me so much!"

He hit me again.

Anyway, once I realized I was a dork, the whole world opened up.

People like to say, "Think outside the box."

I always come back with, "There is no box."

Being a dork allows me to risk failure without fear of what people think of me.

I am reminded of something Theodore Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt[1]

I can remember a time when I was fearful of completely surrendering to God. 

He kept calling me into ministry, and I would say to Him, "I am not good enough; I can't do that."

He kept saying, "If I call you, you can!"

When I finally relinquished my fear and submitted, everything came into place. 

I walked through the fear of the unknown and began living in the mystery of God. 

I am comfortable in the mystery of God. 

Living in the known is boring for me. 

Where do you live?

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger

---

[1] The man in the middle, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=roosevelt&commit=Search Viewed November 3, 2021.