Reward of Risk....No Regret

I watched two Christmas movies with some friends tonight, one very light-hearted and another deeper in tone. Both had their moments of inspiration, but what struck me most was the risk some of the characters took, especially romantically, and the rewards they received in return. As is the case with most movies, the rewards of each risk were almost instantaneous. Not always so in real life. But there are rewards none of the less.

There was one scene in particular where a father was encouraging his young son to pursue a girl that he was "in love with." The dad told the boy something to the effect of, "Go for it, son! Tell her you love her, and see what happens, or you'll always live to regret it!" In this case, the boy's pursuit of the girl ended up in him getting what he wanted, her love in return. But what struck me the most was the reward of having risked, whether or not things would have turned out well for the boy.

Earlier this year, I took a similar risk. In some ways I have felt good about the risk, and in other ways I have felt disappointed, as if I lost somehow, since my affections were not returned. I have learned that moving on would be in my best interest, and it has been helpful, but there has still been a sense of loss, or failure rather. But as I was watching this movie tonight, I felt as if something broke off in me, that weight that said, "you tried and you failed." Instead, I could hear God saying, "You did try, and you didn't fail because your trying means you won't live to regret having never tried at all. You did what you could, and I am proud of you. Now you can move forward, knowing you are more of a man for putting yourself out there. You went for it. You took a risk. Good for you."

The thing is, risks don't always beget happy endings as they do in movies, at least not in the way that we would always like. In my case, I'm realizing that my reward was in the risking. I don't have to live with regret, and I'll be that much more ready to take the next risk whenever it arrives.

Onward.