Overcome

Two weeks ago the notice came home, the same notice that has come home before for my other two children.  Chorus tryouts.  We have weathered one child trying out twice and not making it either time and another child deciding not to try out at all (which might have been a good thing).

I was surprised when Maddie seemed to give the idea some consideration.  While she doesn't mind singing and has a pretty voice, she definitely does not like to call attention to herself and the tryouts seemed to be a bit out of her comfort zone.

I, of course, worried.  What is she didn't make it?  What is she was scared?  I think many times I have almost discouraged the girls from doing difficult things that might cause them pain because I don't want them to be hurt.  The reality is thought that my job in life is not to minimize every bit of pain for the girls.  It is to teach them that life isn't always easy and that beauty isn't necessarily found in those things that are easily gained but in those things that are difficult.

And so I encouraged her to try out.  I filled out the paperwork and sent it in for her.  When she wavered in her decision I encouraged her to go through with it.

The day of the tryouts I left for work in the morning and gave my girl a hug and reminded her of the verse that we gave her when she was baptized, "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9.

And......   she did it.  She admitted that it wasn't easy and that she even got so overwhelmed at being in the spotlight that she cried.   But she started over and finished it.  We haven't found out if she made it or not and frankly, I could care less. What I do care about is that she did it, she followed through and didn't let her fear overcome her desire to do something.  It's not in the achievement itself but in the striving to achieve.