Fear

Tuesday is my favorite night of the week.  I get to spend quality time with special people in my life and there is always great food involved!

I am entirely jealous of Elizabeth and Shannon's cooking and baking skills.  They are amazing in the kitchen and I find myself asking for recipes every single week!  However, no one was clamoring for this Sweet Potato Pie recipe I brought.  It was more like Sweet Potato Pudding.  While still delicious, it certainly needs a little work. 

For dinner we had delicious lentil soup, butternut squash macaroni and cheese, and a large salad with amazing fixin's.  Unpictured, Elizabeth also brought cookies, that are like a muffin top and cookie all mixed into one and are so wonderful!  I ate two!

We started a new study at fellowship group last night.  Always True by James McDonald.  This study follows 5 promises of God and the first is God is Always With Me (I will not fear).

Forbes and I have been facing a fork in the road for quite a while now.  We are looking ahead at what could be major life changes for us.  In some ways we feel a pull in different directions, and in some ways that pull may be in the same direction.  Either way, change always brings a fear of the unknown.  The "what if's" begin to play out in our minds and we are being challenged to step out in faith even when we are unsure what is to come.

James McDonald tells us that the promises of God are what helps us walk by faith while we wait for God to work in our lives.  Waiting is a difficult process.  It is time that God uses to prepare us for what is to come, to shape our character and our situation so we may be ready when His call comes.  But waiting is so hard.  I so often want the end result RIGHTNOW.  I don't like to wait.  But I am at risk of missing out on a great ride, an amazing journey, when I choose to skip ahead.  Especially when I become impatient with God's timing and step out before He is ready.

The promises He gives us are "exceedingly great and precious" (2 Peter 1:4).  I do not have to fear because God is Always With Me.  God is an exceedlying great and precious god and therefore I can trust in this promise.  No matter where the road leads us, God will be with Forbes and me. 

It is the Lord who goes before you.  He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.  Deuteronomy 31:8

I don't want to be coy or cryptic.  Forbes and I really don't know what the future holds.  We are talking about so many ways we feel God is leading us: continued education, mission work, adoption or foster care, children, all sorts of ideas.  We know he is preparing us for what is to come by changing our hearts in many ways.  We are more committed to paying off our debt than ever before.  We want to financially be in a place that we really could leave everything to follow Jesus (without the banks coming to track us down).  Whether it is to pay for school without incurring more debt, or to sell our home and move to Africa...whatever the tide brings, we want to be ready. 

We are also preparing our hearts through studies like this one, and other books we have been reading lately.  Building stronger relationships with those around us has created a support network that we are leaning heavily on as well. 

Fear doesn't have to be inevitable when you are stepping out in faith.  Excitement and joy can replace fear.  With God all things are possible!