Do you know that there are a lot of people who have an aversion to anything that seems risky? Stay close to home. Don’t venture out. Don’t try anything new. Play it safe. Better to keep what you have than try something new.
I’ve been thinking about that today because my oldest daughter Christine, has just started her new job. That meant going to orientation this week in Chicago. No dad. No mom. Flying into O’Hare by herself. Going to a hotel for training where she doesn’t know a soul. Meeting people who she will be working with. In a matter of weeks, she will be living in another part of the country.
Of course, I’m new at this. Part of me wants to be her protector. I want to be there and knock the obstacles out of the way. I want to be there and console or encourage. Yet, another part of me is proud and encouraged. I am glad that she is willing to venture out. To risk. To try something new. To move to a new place. To not do what is easy and secure.
I think that is important for me as well. It may also be important for the person reading this right now. No, I’m not suggesting that you or I need to necessarily need to move across the country or get new jobs. I do think that we all need to step out more and learn to trust the Lord when we do not have everything under control.
I have learned that when I hesitate to do what I know is right or what I ought to do, it is usually because for that moment, I don’t trust God to be with me.
Maybe that is my loss.
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You might want to read the new sermon message on the right hand side. (Help for Those Who Need a Second Chance #4)
One of the more defining experiences of my life was at a time when I had to cut loose of all my security nets and leave myself completely exposed to the risk of failure and loss of comfort. It was a very similar experience to what Christine is stepping into–new job, new city, living in a world that would not understand my convictions, living with a stranger for two weeks of training in Chicago. I would know no one, and I was unsure of my capability to perform the job. Thankfully, I knew this experience was coming so I was able to give these worries over to the Great Security Net over a three month period of prayer prior to my move. I had never felt more alive! What I came to discover is that these are the moments that God longs for in our lives–where we are completely exposed so He can display His power and faithfulness to us without the likelihood that we would mistake His workings as happenstance. There were countless evidences of God’s powerful maneuverings during my ten week experience that I could not possibly mistake for the fruits of my labor or mere coincidence. It is such a blessing to have the security of family, good friends and community, good jobs and food in the pantry; however, in such risky experiences where we cut loose of all of these securities, God unmistakably displays that He is the Source. He is our Shield and Protector. He is faithful.