"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8 - I have to say this has to arguably be my most favourite verse this year, and in particular in this stage of life that I am in. I've grown up reciting this verse for as long as I can remember. Mostly it was for Sunday school or for purposes of my CRE CATs and exams, but I finally took a step back to reflect on the true essence of this verse. Call it an epiphany if you will, but whatever it is, reciting that verse these days is the fuel I need to get through all my days, whether good or bad.
Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you is my new life mantra. I realized that so many times in life we watch opportunities pass us by because we didn't ask, seek or knock. Think about it. Really. Maybe it's that nice girl you've always wanted to ask out but you assumed things will just magically work in your favour and someone else ended up asking her out instead. Or that great idea that you had that you didn't work on and someone else ended up claiming it. Or that mentor you never reached out to, so you ended up making unnecessary mistakes in your career and wasted a lot of time in money deals gone bad. The list is endless.
I have always been a big believer in the power of asking. That's what sets you apart from average people. Average people are okay with whatever life hands them, whatever people hand them. They are never inquisitive, they never ask. Outliers know that the world owes them nothing therefore they will ask, they will seek and they will knock. And you know what, no one said that the answer always has to be yes. Be prepared for plenty of NO's, but never cease in your quest.
I once a read a book a few years back (I can't quite recall the name of the book), but I took away one thing that made me look at life differently. The author wrote that you lose nothing by asking. Worst case scenario is that you are turned down with a NO. But still, you lose NOTHING. Failure to ask, however, is a whole other spectrum. You risk losing out on a great opportunity merely by not asking. In a cost-benefit analysis kind of situation, I'd pick asking over not asking any day.
My point is, we need to embrace the power of asking and pro activeness. I can assure you my life has been so much easier since I took up that mentality. I never feel as if I'm losing out on anything even if faced with a million NO's because I know it would be much more painful to lose out on an opportunity. And that verse, Matthew 7;7-8 has been my inspiration, my fuel, my guide. It's funny how all the answers we seek all along regarding life are all in the Bible. We just have to take a step back and really read the word.
