Easy does it…

“For we live by believing, not by seeing.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) 

I think much of the reason my success in life has been thwarted in because I’ve been paralyzed by fear. I look up at the peaks of the cliffs daunted by the journey that awaits me. The sheer size of my potential depletes me of all energy. Doubt immediately clouds any hope towards progress, and before I know it days, months, and years have passed and I find myself still sitting at the summit staring up at a terrifying reflection of my future self.

“You see huge mountains looking, and you start wondering how you’re going to scale those heights. Meanwhile, because you’re not looking where you’re going, you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell Me how worried you are about the cliffs up ahead. But you don’t know what will happen today, much less tomorrow. Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb.” (Sarah Young)

I know I can’t go back and change the past. But what I can change is my outlook moving forward. No longer will I be afraid of things I can’t see. No longer will I attempt to venture off course in search of a better route. I will hold steadfastly to the path that God has laid before me. I might not know what trials are lurking just around the bend, but I do know that God will equip me for whatever comes my way. After all, it’s senseless to be afraid of something you can’t see.

It’s amazing to me how far a person’s imagination can carry them, and we always seem to expect the worst possible outcome. We turn our backs on great opportunities because we’re afraid we might fail. We run away from problems because we think they’re impossible to solve. But how much more rewarding would it be if we just cling to God’s hand and trust that he will lead us down the right path.

“With your strength I can crush an army, with my God I can scale any wall.” (Psalm 18:29)

photo credit: weesam2010 Loch Ra and the Atlantic Ocean from the crags of Stac Pollaidh, Assynt, UK via photopin (license)