There Is No Try

“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda

I love movies. If you want to sit and have a marathon, let’s do it. I could watch them for hours and not get tired of the priceless moments that each movie have to offer. One of the priceless moments I love was the scene of Luke and Yoda lifting the X-Wing from the waters. This moment has a multitude of different emotions tied into it, and not a single second goes to waste. The whole scene was utter brilliance.

My favorite part of it is where the quote above is said. Luke is struggling to believe that he can use the force to lift his ship out of the water. After some shoulder shrugs and a small tantrum about it being impossible, Yoda has some wise words. He tells Luke that nothing is to big, that it can be done, you just have to do it. Luke, reluctant to even attempt the feat says , “I’ll Try.”

Then…BOOM! Yoda hits Luke with the quote. You are not trying to do anything. You either do it or you do not. There isn’t this middle ground of even attempting something. It is powerful because Yoda already knew Luke felt defeated, he saw that Luke believed he would fail even before he tried. Luke does fail, and walks away frustrated. While he sits in his doubt, Yoda precedes to lift the ship out of the water and Luke is beyond amazed. How about that right?

I see so much of this scene play out in my own life. There are so many situations that occur where I tend to doubt God will come through. When God asks me to do something and I think “I can’t do that, am I the right one for the job?” All that doubt creeps in and immobilizes me. Sometimes, though, I get the strength to just try. I attempt what God is wanting me to do, but I am not sold out. I don’t believe it can happen. Along the way I lost the belief that my God can do anything. Somehow I need to get back to that place of trust, that place where the impossible is possible.

I know for myself it is always going back to a place of surrender. When the odds are against me and I feel overwhelmed all I need to do is drop to my knees and remind myself of how I am not in control. The Lord has all the plans in His hands. He is going to pull me through any situation or any scenario I face. His strength will be my guide, not my own. When I realize that I start to see impossible become real and His love abounds.

I want to take each moment the Lord sets before me and never say I will “try” again. It is either I do it or I do not, it is simple. Trying is a cop-out when we don’t succeed. Saying do or do not means I choose to trust, it means I won’t settle for that middle ground of soft belief. It means I push forward into unknown territory, delve into the deep. It doesn’t mean failure will not be there either, but it does mean I look past failure to the ultimate truth that the Lord is behind everything that is happening, and even if things don’t pan out, God is still good. 

Think through your own life, where can you trust more? Where can you put the try away and really do or do not? We all have moments where we can. So, whenever you are there, remember our little green friend. His words ring true. Lets do it, and know you’ve got a huge God behind you every step of the way.