Maybe that is not the right title for this post. Maybe it should be Facing Fear Head On because I don’t know if I’ve ever actually overcome fear.
I’d like to talk about what happens when we feel that God is leading us in a new direction but we are afraid to take the next step. Or maybe we are afraid to even believe that He really wants to use us in that way. This is a powerful tool that the devil will use to stop our forward progress.
Many times as I begin a new adventure with God, I immediately begin to have thoughts that I am not qualified to do whatever it is God is calling me to do. I think to myself…there must be a braver candidate out there that would do a much better job. If we read the stories of men and women that God used in huge ways to accomplish great things for Him we will notice that courage is not something that necessarily came naturally to them either.
Think about Joshua for example; God gave him a big job to do. He was to lead millions of people into the Promised Land. Take a minute to read Joshua chapter 1 when you have a chance. It is the moment when God gives Joshua his marching orders. In verses 6-9 God tells Joshua THREE times to be strong and courageous. He goes even further and tells him, “…do not be terrified; do not be discouraged….” I imagine Joshua was pretty overwhelmed with the thought of trying to step into Moses’ shoes and tackle this major undertaking! In verse 9 God promises him, “…the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I LOVE that!!!
2 Chronicles 20 tells the story of King Jehosophat as he was wrestling with a task God had given him. He admits in verse 12 that he doesn’t know what to do, but he tells God that his eyes are on Him. God’s response in verse 15 is the same as it was to Joshua: “…Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s….” I LOVE that too!!!
Joyce Meyer sent out a newsletter recently and something that she wrote just screamed off the page to me and I couldn’t say it better myself so here it is:
“When we look at the courageous people in our lives, we think they’re so strong, and we tell ourselves we could never be like them. But the truth is courageous people fear. They just go for it ANYWAY!
"After facing these fears over and over in my life, I’ve learned that sometimes in order to find the courage to receive a new thing from God, I just have to do it afraid!”
If you are entering a new season of your life and what lies ahead looks challenging I want to encourage you not to wait around until you feel ready but to step out and DO IT AFRAID!
Tracey's Blog
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Seasons of Change - Part 1
I enjoyed our Autumn Girls Night Out so much and I hope everyone that came did too. After I spoke I still felt that there were some things that I wanted to share but didn't get to cover. I've divided them into 3 parts and will share them over the next few weeks here on my blog.
Last Monday night I talked a little bit about embracing change. That always means letting go of the old. Whether "the old" was a good season or a not-so-good season we still need to let it go in order to set the stage for "the new".
I shared a little bit about one of those changing seasons in my life. It was the year that my oldest son graduated high school and I was beginning to feel the first effects of my season of raising children transitioning into the season of letting them go. At the same time my grandparents' health was failing and I was beginning to realize that I didn't have very much longer with them here on earth. Those things combined with some health issues made for a pretty emotionally miserable me.
On one particular afternoon, during the week that we were packing my son's things up to move him away to college, I was driving home from work and heard the Stevie Nicks song "Landslide". It goes like this...
Well I've been afraid of changing, 'cos I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder children get older
I'm getting older too
So, you can imagine the scene...I could hardly see the road for the tears pouring out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I was bawling my eyes out. It wasn't bad enough my son was leaving but to add insult to injury...I'M GETTING OLDER TOO!!!
I know it's just a song but it touched a nerve. Up until that point, to some degree, I had "built my life around" being a mom. A mom with all of her kids at home with her in the same house, sleeping under the same roof every night. Now that was changing.
Later in the song it asks the question:
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Those questions cut right to the core of what I was feeling. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been in a season where you find yourself asking..."can I handle this?"
Let me help you out with that one. The answer is an unequivocal YES! You can handle this and any season when you know who is writing your story and who is holding the plan for your life in His hands.
This was God's promise to the Israelites when they were living in exile, removed from their comfort zone, out in no-man's land without a clear picture of what the future would bring:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I believe the promises recorded in the Bible are there for us to grab onto to carry us through the seasons of our lives.
It was during that stormy season of my life that God began to give me ideas and visions of what has evolved into For the Girls International. It's amazing how even in the darkest of times God will whisper to you plans that He has for your future.
I encourage you to take the time to press your ear in close to Him to hear those whispers. Even if it seems like a crazy idea or something so far off or out of the box...write it down. Tuck it away so that when He asks you to begin to step out you are ready.
Part of embracing change is allowing yourself to "feel" it. There's a difference between allowing yourself to feel it and dwelling on it to the point that is pulls you down to a place of hopelessness. It's unrealistic to think we can "sail through the changing ocean tides" without getting doused with a little saltwater so don't beat yourself up if you find yourself shedding a salty tear or two. On the other hand, we don't need to drown in our sorrows either.
When you find yourself in that place of emotional "landslide" start talking to yourself. Grab hold of the promises that God has clearly given you and embrace your changing season as an essential element of your destiny.
Check back in the coming weeks for Parts 2 and 3!
Last Monday night I talked a little bit about embracing change. That always means letting go of the old. Whether "the old" was a good season or a not-so-good season we still need to let it go in order to set the stage for "the new".
I shared a little bit about one of those changing seasons in my life. It was the year that my oldest son graduated high school and I was beginning to feel the first effects of my season of raising children transitioning into the season of letting them go. At the same time my grandparents' health was failing and I was beginning to realize that I didn't have very much longer with them here on earth. Those things combined with some health issues made for a pretty emotionally miserable me.
On one particular afternoon, during the week that we were packing my son's things up to move him away to college, I was driving home from work and heard the Stevie Nicks song "Landslide". It goes like this...
Well I've been afraid of changing, 'cos I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder children get older
I'm getting older too
So, you can imagine the scene...I could hardly see the road for the tears pouring out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I was bawling my eyes out. It wasn't bad enough my son was leaving but to add insult to injury...I'M GETTING OLDER TOO!!!
I know it's just a song but it touched a nerve. Up until that point, to some degree, I had "built my life around" being a mom. A mom with all of her kids at home with her in the same house, sleeping under the same roof every night. Now that was changing.
Later in the song it asks the question:
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Those questions cut right to the core of what I was feeling. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been in a season where you find yourself asking..."can I handle this?"
Let me help you out with that one. The answer is an unequivocal YES! You can handle this and any season when you know who is writing your story and who is holding the plan for your life in His hands.
This was God's promise to the Israelites when they were living in exile, removed from their comfort zone, out in no-man's land without a clear picture of what the future would bring:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I believe the promises recorded in the Bible are there for us to grab onto to carry us through the seasons of our lives.
It was during that stormy season of my life that God began to give me ideas and visions of what has evolved into For the Girls International. It's amazing how even in the darkest of times God will whisper to you plans that He has for your future.
I encourage you to take the time to press your ear in close to Him to hear those whispers. Even if it seems like a crazy idea or something so far off or out of the box...write it down. Tuck it away so that when He asks you to begin to step out you are ready.
Part of embracing change is allowing yourself to "feel" it. There's a difference between allowing yourself to feel it and dwelling on it to the point that is pulls you down to a place of hopelessness. It's unrealistic to think we can "sail through the changing ocean tides" without getting doused with a little saltwater so don't beat yourself up if you find yourself shedding a salty tear or two. On the other hand, we don't need to drown in our sorrows either.
When you find yourself in that place of emotional "landslide" start talking to yourself. Grab hold of the promises that God has clearly given you and embrace your changing season as an essential element of your destiny.
Check back in the coming weeks for Parts 2 and 3!
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