Why is it that scary, hard experiences tend to be the most enriching and worthwhile? Obviously negative events aren’t always good for us (although they tend to grow us as people!), but often it’s those times that push us beyond our comfort zone, or that require faith, that are the most MEANINGFUL things. I thought I’d share a few things that have happened to me recently:

1. Night snorkeling: Last month, Zach and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Grand Cayman with his family. There were many fun times of basking in the balmy sunshine, splashing in the blue ocean, and seeing fun tropical sights. But then one evening, Zach got it in his head that he wanted to go snorkeling at 11pm. Yes, in the DARK!! And oh yes, he wanted me to go too. His Dad was eager to go as well. “Just go enjoy some nice Father-Son time!” I waved my hands nervously. “I don’t want to go do that!!”
   
   “Aww come on Honey!” Zach urged me. “You say you like that I help you try new things!”
   
   So you know what happened. I got talked into going! Ha! I looked grimly out the window at the dark, dark ocean as I prepped for the venture. Well, really it was so dark that I could not see the ocean, I could only hear the constant roll and crash of the black waves. Zach and his Dad agreed that they would stay on either side of me so that I wouldn’t get attacked by all the lurking sea creatures. Armed with our snorkel gear and underwater flashlights to beacon our way, we set out into the warm dark waters. My heart was pounding loudly as we began to explore the underwater nocturnal world. I held Zach’s hand as we swam and I tried to breath normally through my salty snorkel tube, my mask under water as I looked around nervously. As we paddled around, I found myself relaxing a bit. I thought about the fact that if I died, at least I’d be with Zach when it happened. Hehehe. But truly, I did begin to enjoy it. There was something cool about only seeing the fish that came through the flash-lights beams in the night water. I spotted a large lobster as well, its spires reared in self defense beside a rock. That one did make me swallow some salt water when I saw it. (It’s not good to gasp under water, even with a snorkel FYI.) Finally, we made it back to the calm midnight beach, all alive and well. Survival! Scary, but indeed, an experience I will remember for a long time!
   
2. Sharing my testimony at youth group: Shortly after returning home from our vacation, I was slated to share my testimony of what Jesus Christ has done for me with the youth group. I had tried to prepare for this in hopes that I would feel ready, but I was quite nervous. Public speaking in general is scary for me since I have not done it very often. Sharing a simple joke in front of people makes me nervous, let alone sharing my story, which has highs and lows, and is very personal. I worried that I would not be able to speak clearly, that I might choke up and not be able to deliver the message well, or that it might not be impactful for anyone listening. I went into it with prayer, and I felt the Lord’s encouragement. When I finally was sitting in front of everyone with shaky hands, I actually felt excited! God HAS done some awesome things in my life, faithfully leading me through struggles and my sins. I’m so glad I was given that opportunity, even though I was very nervous. Again, good things are not always easy!
   
3. Throwing a surprise party: This month, my sweet husband turned 30 years old! Wanting him to have a memorable 30th birthday, I decided to attempt to throw a surprise party for him. I had never done a surprise party for anyone before, so it really was outside of my comfort zone! Keeping a big secret from Zach was hard (we’ve hardly kept any secrets from each other since getting married!). I worried that he’d see me acting suspicious–that a RSVP message would come through on my phone at the wrong time, or that the party just wouldn’t come together! However, my friend kindly agreed to open her house for hosting, and with her and one of my awesome sisters joining in to help, the party came together. The worst of my fears were the day of the party though. While Zach was at work, me and my comrade hosts were sneaking around to get things ready. I baked cake, ordered the pizza, etc. Acting normal when Zach got home from work was such a test! I hoped he would not suspect anything! I was so wound up, but I had to play it cool. Haha! Finally it was time to go ‘out to eat with a few friends’, and I blindfolded Zach in the car, telling him I wanted our eating location to be a surprise. Thankfully he went along with it without protest, and focused on trying to guess where I was driving with his eyes closed. To my relief, he didn’t pick up on where we were! I was able to lead him into the house where almost 30 people were there to shout “surprise!” Woohoo! Zach was truly surprised! It ended up being so fun, but I did sleep much better after the party was over! So worth it though!

So there you have it! Three recent ‘scary’ things I did in the last couple weeks. Looking back, I honestly would still feel nervous if I had to do any of these things again. But at the same time, I’m so glad they each happened. And I do sometimes think about what we could miss out on if we always turn down or say “no” to things that are outside of our comfort zones!

I hope you all have a great week, embracing the new adventures as they come! God bless you all and thanks for joining another coffee chat with me today!