As I’ve come into my adult years, I’ve begun to realize that making decisions and sticking to them is not as easy as it once was. It used to be so simple to have dreams that were bigger than myself. I would ponder constantly of all the wonderful things I was going to do with my life and nothing was too ambitious for me. It was like looking into the future through rose colored glasses. Everything seemed so nice and shiny, nothing bad could ever happen. I only saw the good and looked forward to whatever the future was going to bring. When is it that we lose that childlike faith and reliance on God?
It seems that the older I get and the more twists and turns life throws at me, the more I gain a sense of what I believe to be wisdom in regards to how the world works. I have started to see that every action has consequences and sometimes making a decision can be scary even if I feel like I'm being called by God. The more “wisdom” I gain from the world though, the less faith I have. The more I rely on my own ideas of what the world has taught me, the less I rely on my Lord and Savior. I suppose that is why we were never meant to eat of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Over and over again in The Bible, God tells us to trust in Him and rely on Him. Joshua 1:9 says "9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.". Proverbs 3:5-6 says "5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.". So why is it so hard for me to step out in faith and trust Him!
When I’m faced with a decision, why do I become riddled with anxiety? Why do I let the “what if’s” outweigh the opportunity? Although we may not hear directly from God regarding our decision making like they did in Bible times, I strongly recommend turning to prayer and bible study if you are ever like me and are stuck between saying yes or no. When you do this you will soon realize that what the Bible has to say is for the most part, yes. When faced with a tough decision, our anxiety and indecision often time comes from conflicting views. God says things like go and I will be there with you, do not be afraid, I will provide, trust in me, while the world says no this is scary or hard or time consuming or you aren’t good enough. Think about all the opportunities that are missed because we let the world win over our trust in God.
While stepping out in faith is hard, standing strong in faith is harder. In Matthew 14:22-33 when Jesus commanded Peter to step out onto the water with Him, Peter said yes by stepped onto the water but then faltered and began to sink. Taking the first step is always hard because it takes an initial step of faith, but continueing to walk with God in the choices that you make can be even more difficult than that first step because it requires continued faith. When you have said yes but then start seeing all of the trouble that comes with the yes it’s easy to start losing faith and start sinking.
Deciding to step out of my comfort zone and serve at church was hard, but staying active and continuing to serve is harder. It seems like I can always find an excuse not to serve. I'm too busy, I'm too tired, I'm too shy. Likewise, becoming a foster parent was hard, but finding the strength to continue in the calling given to me by God is harder. I’ve seen hurt and felt disappointment and sadness and these things seem to outweigh all the joy that my decision has brought. Some days I tell myself that this is the last placement we will take and we will let our licence lapse, and other days God reminds me that what I am doing is not for myself, but for Him.
Deciding to step out of my comfort zone and serve at church was hard, but staying active and continuing to serve is harder. It seems like I can always find an excuse not to serve. I'm too busy, I'm too tired, I'm too shy. Likewise, becoming a foster parent was hard, but finding the strength to continue in the calling given to me by God is harder. I’ve seen hurt and felt disappointment and sadness and these things seem to outweigh all the joy that my decision has brought. Some days I tell myself that this is the last placement we will take and we will let our licence lapse, and other days God reminds me that what I am doing is not for myself, but for Him.
When God calls us, He calls us to take the initial step into faith but He also calls us to continue on and stand strong in faith. Peter walked on water but when he saw the wind and waves and lost sight of Jesus, he began to sink. Though he lost his faith for a second, he called out to Jesus for help and Immediately Jesus was there to help him saying “you of little faith, why did you doubt?” How often do we step out in faith only to loose sight of God and become anxious and worried and start to doubt? When we face that point where it looks better to go back on our yes and instead say no, that is when we need to reach out for Jesus’ grace and mercy.
Are you sinking and struggling to stay afloat, depending on yourself or are you calling out to the only one who can save when you start to go under? For whoever needs to hear this today, step out. Make the decision, but then also remember to stand strong in faith and lean on God when you start to think that it would be easier to just say no.
Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, o Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”
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