The Birth of Something New
Beginnings can be mysterious. Some beginnings are pivotal, historic, life-changing, while some are more trivial and insignificant. Regardless of the size, beginnings are necessary. I get asked quite frequently about writing my book. How did I get started? Where did my confidence come from? What inspired me to write?
Writing had always been a dream of mine. It just so happened that when I was at my lowest point, in one of the darkest and loneliest seasons of my life, I decided to step out of the boat of comfort and do what I always aspired to do. The thought terrified me. Fear gripped me. Insecurities crept in. Where would I start and why would anyone care to read my book? I stepped out anyway. I chose to be obedient to what I felt the Lord calling me to, even though it was scary. Sometimes it’s the darkest moments that lead you to your brightest beginnings. And when we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, putting our complete trust in him, there really is nothing to be afraid of.
It’s like the story in Matthew 14, when Peter steps out of the boat and walks on water. The disciples were on a boat when they saw Jesus walking towards them on water. Immediately, they cried out in fear because they didn’t believe it was truly him. Jesus says to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” He then calls Peter to walk to him. So, Peter, fully trusting Jesus, steps out of the boat and walks on the water. But as soon as he took his eyes of Jesus, as soon as he became afraid, he began to sink and cried out for Jesus to save him. Our lives can be like that oftentimes, right? Sometimes Jesus calls us to step out of our comfort zone, into unchartered territory. Maybe you are starting a new job, starting the first day of school, or taking on a new project at work. Whatever it is can feel really hard and scary, but when our eyes are on Jesus, our fear shrinks and our trust in him grows.
I had never written anything longer than a college essay, so beginning a book was a major challenge. I had not been trained in how to write (other than high school and college English classes). Where would I even begin? There was no special formula or guide to follow. This was my story, my book. One thing was for sure, it was going to be a long, grueling process that would require long days, all-nighters, and lots of sacrifice.
I decided to suck it up and begin.
I knew I wanted my book to inspire, motivate and encourage women in all stages of life. For me, the best way to do that was to share my own story of how to be courageous in my most terrifying moments, how to be disciplined when I would rather not, how to heal from my past, how to respond to offense, how to ground myself in contentment and how to learn to love myself. I decided to get transparent and let people into the most vulnerable places of my heart, which was really hard for me because I’m not usually a very vulnerable person. I like to keep things private, not letting a lot of people into the most personal parts of my life. But I knew the Lord was laying this message on my heart for a reason. No matter how scared I was to step into this calling, I knew I had to listen.
We all have things we are scared of doing or starting. Maybe you feel called to something, but you don’t even know where to start. Maybe you’re scared because you don’t know what other people will think or say. I want to encourage you with this: if the Lord is bringing you to it, he will bring you through it. There is blessing on the other side of obedience. Sometimes taking that small, scary step will lead to something much greater than you could ever imagine. The only thing that can hold you back from greatness is you. Take that leap of faith. Step out of your comfort zone. You can never reach the big moments, if you don’t start with the small ones.
Challenges:
Step out of your comfort zone. Don’t let fear hold you back from accomplishing something great! Follow the Lord and allow him to lead you through the unknown.
Trust his plan for you. Some moments may seem so small and insignificant that you question them and their purpose. But the Lord is cooking up something big for you! Trust those small moments and steward them well, because from them will come the bigger moments.
Obedience. Pray that the Lord will reveal to you his plans for your life and then walk obediently in them. We are called to obey the Lord in everything we do, giving him all the glory and praise.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for another day! I pray over each person reading this right now, that they would feel challenged, yet encouraged by this message. I pray that as followers of Christ, we would walk in obedience to where you call us. That even when it’s scary to take that first step, we would trust you and believe that you will lead us through it. You are sovereign, making all things good. Help us to remember that you are always with us, that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. We don’t have to take these steps alone because we are comforted with your presence. I pray that you would be with each and every one of us today as we step into the fullness of who you created us to be. We love you and we praise you. In Jesus’ name! Amen!