Leaping in Faith

1 John 4:18 (NLT) “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

“1, 2, 3…go!” Those are familiar words from my childhood as I can distinctly remember my twin brother giving me the countdown anytime we were racing down the driveway on our big wheels, jumping into a pile of leaves or engaging in any other daring feat. When we are kids, we often take leaps of faith without ever giving it a second thought. Jumping off the high dive? Sure. Trying to take flight from the roof of the barn? Great idea. At that point in our lives, our brains aren’t wired to think about potential consequences. Instead, we operate from a place of heightened imaginations where we can see, do and be anything we want. It’s so unfortunate we lose that as we grow up, but it’s understandable. We live in a fallen, broken and sinful world. We are surrounded each day by so much evil. It’s easy to get caught up in that and thus allow fear to control our decision-making. Enter the Good News of Jesus Christ. Because of the cross, we can choose to live differently.

My favorite person of faith in the Bible is a popular choice: Abraham. Can you imagine being asked to leave your home and everything you know to travel to an unknown destination placing all your trust in an invisible God? Though he faced many challenges to his faith along the way, Abraham chose to place his trust and future in the hands of God. As a result of his obedience he became the father of many nations and has remained one of the wonderful Biblical examples we have of what our good, good Father can and will do with our lives if we choose to obey Him and take a leap of faith.

I decided to Google “leap of faith” and found this definition.

Quite fitting, right? I thought so. I’ve spent time with a Christian counselor regularly over the past couple of years and one thing she told me that has and will stick with me throughout my spiritual journey is “the unknown is where fear lies”. Though the unknown is scary it’s the perfect place for us to welcome our Heavenly Father into our lives knowing that He is the one in control and our job is to be obedient. That leads me to one of my favorite quotes in the Bible from 1 John 4:18 (NLT) “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

This verse is one that has guided me on my journey in a significant way. As a self admitted (and recovering) people pleaser I have often allowed my decision making to be guided more by the voices of others (friends, work peers, social media, etc.) rather than first turning my heart to God in prayer and listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s vital to be surrounded by a support system and community of believers with whom we can share and ask for guidance and prayers. However, it has required discipline for me to take my worries and cares to God first instead of being more concerned with what others may think. I have come to understand that “perfect love” has nothing to do WITH me; rather it is all about God’s perfect love FOR me. And when I am able to live from a place of knowing I am perfectly loved by God, I then become free to step into areas where God is calling me, stretching me and ultimately asking me to trust Him.

When we choose to enter into the unknown, the only way we can press forward into the endeavor is by trusting the outcome to God. Each of our leaps of faith is different. Maybe God has been stirring in your heart about adoption or becoming a foster parent. It could be a business venture that you’ve contemplated jumping into for years but have been held back by fear of comparison, self-expectations or financial challenges. Or maybe you’re like me and you’ve kept something hidden from others when God is calling you to share with the world through words, painting, photography or some other gift.

If we are guided by what the world tells us, fear will direct our decision-making and we will remain in places that God wants to call us out from. I no longer want my decisions to be driven by a desire to please others nor do I want to be paralyzed by fear. I want to take flight, jump off the high dive and choose to leap forward in faith into whatever God is calling me. I pray you will join me because when we invite God into all our decisions, lend our ear to His quiet still voice and choose to be obedient in the face of fear, God will always be there to catch us and He will do far greater things in and through us than what we can ever think, hope or imagine.

#Fear