Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get" - Forrest Gump's Momma

I received a box of chocolates for Christmas and I have to be honest upon receiving them was not entirely thrilled. It's not that I am not grateful....it's that I do not like boxes of chocolates....let me explain.

I have never liked boxes of chocolates because, "you never know what you're going to get." For the most part very few companies take the time to label what is going in the box and where it lands. I can remember trying chocolates from a box as a kid and biting into ones that were just plain weird. When you dig into a chocolate box you have to take that risk that you may not like what you bite into. After a few bad experiences I just decided it's best to get plain labeled chocolate. I like dark chocolate. 

So here I was sitting with the first box of chocolates I have received in a very long time as a gift. I opened it up hoping for a chart, but none was to be found. It was frustrating but then I began having these existential thoughts....

Life really is like a box of chocolates. You have to take risks or it will all go to waste.

The chocolates are like little experiences and such, they can be an activity, a place, a food, or even a person. They are all different, but what they have in common is that they are all unknown or mostly unknown to you. Knowing myself I like to have things known and figured out before trying or approaching it. I don't like to take a risk unless I know what is coming and how to handle it...which makes it less of a risk really at all.

Here are some examples....
I don't know that person so I'd rather not go visit with them.
I don't know if that food tastes good so I'd rather not try it.
I don't know if I am the best person for ___ so I will not volunteer.
I don't know if I would be very good at writing so why spend the time.
I don't know if I'll like zip-lining so I better just sit it out.
I don't know if I'll be safe on that ride so I'll skip it.
I don't know if I'll like that movie so I'll wait till it's in Redbox.
I don't know if I'll like it or be good enough to do this pageant or contest.
I don't know anything about that job so I better stick to doing something I already know.
I don't know what is down that road so I will take the highway instead.
I don't know if they will say yes so I will not even ask.
I have never heard of that speaker so I will chose a different talk in a break out session.
I don't know anything about that retreat so I better not go in case it is not a good experience.

I sat here looking at my chocolates realizing if I do not take the risk and try any, then they will all go to waste. There could be some perfectly good and delicious chocolates in there, but I will never know and experience them if I give into my fear of eating them in case I bite into a weird one. So I had one and it was weird, but then I tried a 2nd one and it was good.

It is the same with life. Life is full of little and big unknowns. God sets before us countless opportunities, things to try, people to meet, talents and gifts to try etc. things we can't have all figured out beforehand. We often let them pass by for fear of taking the risk. If we constantly do that then we end up missing out on a great good life He wants to give us. Sometimes we have to take the risk and go for it without having it all figured out before hand. We have to trust Him.

Now there is not a whole lot one can do about a weird chocolate, but spit it out or just keep on chewing through it. We have those choices in life too when things turn out bad or weird, we either can turn around and stop what we're doing, shake it off and move on, or if that is not possible we may just have to go on through it. We must remember that God doesn't leave us alone in it. Again we have to trust Him. As we go through it, it may even end up not being all bad we can learn something or find it is good after all. Or it could be all bad but that should not keep us from trying something else.

You can probably add to the list above. You too can probably think of times you opted out of something because of the unknowns. I know I often choose to not take the risk and research as much as possible first. I think back on some of those times with regret. I know of times when I did take the risk too and they turned out to be incredible. And there have been times I took the risk and it was a flop, but I "chewed through it," or just stopped and accepted my losses and moved on. What I have learned in those times is that God never let me fall. We may hit some pretty low places in life, but He never abandons you. We can trust Him.

So what I've learned from this innocent little box of unknown chocolates is sometimes you have to take a risk rather than letting a lot of good possibilities go to waste. This is definitely still something I must work at. 

We must trust God.