I have desired to start a blog for the longest time. I even registered this blog, had a couple of posts typed, however I still managed to talk myself out of it just before it was time to post them. Why? you may ask. People who know me well would probably be surprised at my admission. They know that I am always willing to share whatever insight and revelation I receive from God in any season of my life. However, putting myself out there has been particularly challenging for me.
As a professional, I struggled with how I wanted my colleagues and potential employers to perceive me. Being in the Middle East, I wanted to be careful and wise about what I shared on social media. However, in a bid to be careful, I became fearful, and that fear gave way to complete reticence. So even though I have felt the stirring in my heart for so long, my inhibitions always had the upper hand and those ideas remained in my word processor document or in my head. Amid my self-imposed limitations, I have heard God say to me in the words of the song I wrote 10 years ago, Strength – “Have no fear, for I am with you and do not be dismayed for I am your God.” from Isaiah 41:10, and “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord God is with you wherever you go”. Joshua 1:9
What then does courage look like? I have heard so many definitions of courage including the following from the web dictionary as “the ability to do something that frightens one”. I think this definition paints a beautiful picture of the willingness to act even when one is potentially scared of the outcome. As a Christian, the idea of courage goes beyond acting in spite of fear to one of trust. A dear friend of ours spoke about doing the trust fall game with his kids to teach them the principle of trust, with a view to ultimately show them that God can be trusted. With this illustration in mind, if we felt God calling us to change the status quo and move beyond our self-imposed limitations, what should our response be? A fearful one resulting from the worst possible scenarios that play themselves out in our minds, or one of trust in a loving Father who never sends us where his grace cannot take us?
I suggest it is the latter. We trust that God will catch us always, and underneath us are his everlasting arms (Deut 33:27). As someone puts it, we can’t lose for winning. Fear makes us look in the wrong direction- at ourselves and our own abilities whilst God calls up to look up as Lauren Daigle sings so beautifully in her song “Look up child”.
Over to you! Do you feel like God is challenging you to go beyond your limitations and change the status quo? What is holding you back? What is one thing you are going to do to even though it frightens you in response to God’s call?