let go – Oh Lord Help Us

Into the Unknown: Letting Go of Fear and Embracing Adventure

DevotionalsOctober 29, 2019October 29, 2019

Leaving the safety of what is known requires risk. Step out into the unknown. Here is what will be experienced in a life of adventure…

My husband and I had many adventures during the first several years of our marriage. There was the move to Atlanta, hang-gliding, backpacking in the Appalachians, backpacking in the Rockies, the move to Chicago, starting a coffee shop, and then having a baby. After that our adventures took on a different form. Still adventures, but a little closer to home.

So for my husband’s fortieth birthday this year, I felt an adventure was due. I took him to a high ropes course, complete with zip lines. What in the world was I thinking? This adventure-loving gal apparently does not like adventure high up! My husband was so patient with me as I shakily took each scary step a mile up in the sky (not really, but you get the point, and I’m awful at estimating distance).

There were five stations. At all times, throughout each station, we were attached to a cable with our safety harness. Each one began with climbing up a ladder that was just wooden rods on rope. This was the part I most hated, having to leave the safe comfortable ground below; the pulling of the safety cable thing-y climbing up, figuring out how to get off the ladder and onto the platform. And this is before ever facing an obstacle…

Into the Unknown

Then came the obstacles. Some were just walking across boards that were spaced out. Sometimes the boards were not fixed and would swing. There were cargo nets, tight rope walking, and tree-hugging. The craziest obstacle was the Tarzan swing. After hooking my safety harness safely into a super safe rope, I stepped off the platform into… nothingness. There was NOTHING below me. We were told to bounce once against the net, then grab onto it once we swung back. On the first bounce, the net grabbed my shoe! It was hanging on only by my toes. Frantically, I used my other foot to push it back on and was able to grab on as I swung back.

I was screaming like a banshee when I stepped off that platform (never in my life has someone referred to me as quiet). After completing that obstacle, my husband reveals to me that the Tarzan swing was the difficult option, and I actually could have skipped it. I acted like I was mad, but I wasn’t.

The final obstacle had two additional ladders to climb, taking us even further from the safety of the ground. Each station ended with a zip line. But of course, the biggest zip line was last. There was a reason I needed to climb up those two additional ladders. I needed to be higher so I could go further, faster.

The Adventure

All of our lives are full of adventure, of stepping out into the unknown. Perhaps it is moving, or going to school – again, becoming a missionary, having a baby, writing a book, facing a health crisis, or opening up your heart and home to new friends.

The pull…

When we are leaving the comfort and safety of the known (even if it is a situation we don’t like), we feel the pull on us to return to safety. Those first decisions can weigh us down with anticipation, dread, fear, or waiting.

Unsure…

Then we arrive at the place where we need to take a step. Our footing is unsure. We are shaky, and beginning to question our decisions. It seems too big, too overwhelming.

Trust…

There will come a point when we will begin to trust, not our footing, but the One who holds us. We will end up slipping, falling, feeling that we are about to meet our demise, but knowing that we are held safe.

Risks…

Because of the trust being built, we begin to take greater risks. We know that it is not our strength that makes what we are doing possible. It is His strength, and we can have exuberant joy as we trust in it.

Un-expectations…

We will be able to readjust as unexpected circumstances arise. We gain a new perspective, and do not worry about doing everything the “right way.”

Pressing on…

But just because we have already left the safety of the known, does not mean that we won’t continue to fight the pull to go back. The pull is not as great, and it is honestly too late to back out anyway, so we continue to press on.

Perspective…

After pressing on we gain a different perspective. Sure, we are more exposed, more vulnerable, but the view is worth it. And so is the feeling of letting go and having the wind rush against us. We know we need to go higher so we can go further, faster.

Go…

We also know to not get too comfortable, because there is always more life to explore. After all, we are not called to arrive. We are called to go.

Stepping Out

What adventures are you having? Where are you on this never-ending cycle of adventure? I leave us now with this confirmation, this promise…

I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:9-10, NIV

We are not to get too comfortable, because there is always more life to explore. After all, we are not called to arrive. We are called to go. Click To Tweet

Casey Horner

fear, vulnerable, vulnerability, let go, God’s guidance, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry, nonprofit

Let Go of Fear: Vulnerability Allows God’s Guidance

DevotionalsOctober 22, 2019October 19, 2019

Fear is the enemy and the answer is becoming vulnerable. That seems crazy, yet God calls us to be a little crazy. Let go of fear and embrace God’s guidance.

“I don’t know.”

Why do these three little words cause such fear and anxiety in us? I hate saying these words. They make me feel weak, vulnerable and most of all like a failure.

It’s Okay to Struggle

As I’m writing this I’m listening to my son try to work through a hard coding problem and he is really struggling. He has worked on this problem for at least four hours. I keep hearing things like: What do you mean? Ohhh now I get it! Why won’t this thing work? Can’t you just…

But here is what I am learning by watching him struggle – he keeps struggling. Eventually, he will get it, because he doesn’t give up. As a young kid, I don’t know doesn’t fill him with fear. He is okay not knowing the answers. He accepts that as a child, as a student, he is learning. I don’t hear I don’t know followed by silence. He quickly follows up with a question, a wondering, or a workaround.

Isn’t that what God is calling us to – to be like children? He wants us to realize we don’t know it all. To ask Him for help, wonder and search for the answers in His name, and call on Him to be our guide.

Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me […] Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.
Matthew 18:4-5,7 NET

Let Go of Fear

We can’t fear I don’t know. Vulnerability is not easy but we must embrace it and let God lead us. Sometimes the path to the answer is long and difficult, full of those stumbling blocks. Sometimes the struggle is the answer. That can feel difficult and leave you wondering if it was worthwhile. I find myself struggling with many uncertainties in times like this. The fear and vulnerabilities of I don’t know often creep in.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us.
Hebrews 12:1, NET

This verse is the answer to my feelings. Feelings of not wanting to say those dreaded words. Cling to those who are steadfast in God’s corner. Let them be my touchstones and have faith in the journey. It’s not a sprint. Ask questions, be vulnerable, admit when you are unsure. Don’t be a stumbling block for others, but be a witness to God’s endurance.

Be Vulnerable

A friend and I were talking recently and sharing some hard-fought truths. What struck me most was that despite being hurt and broken at times in her life, she was not bound to that in her faith. Her faith is strong and supersedes any hardships life has given her. I read a quote recently in Tim Tebow’s book Shaken: “God will never waste pain that’s offered to Him.”

But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV

My friend has such a child-like spirit and asks a million questions. She is always searching for God’s answer, His will. Truly, she is a beautiful example of running the race with endurance and grace. Being vulnerable is her gift and she shares it to God’s glory. I want to be more like that.

Get to Work

Admitting our limitations gives God room to work. He is the one that makes all things possible. But I am such a sinner. I need to be vulnerable. I need to find the edge of my possibilities so that I can stop relying on myself and trust in my Creator.

Wow, that is a powerful lesson I feel God working to teach me in this season of my life. Trust in God, be vulnerable, and put fear aside.

So I am in a battle of wills over this, right now. I know in my heart that this is right and good. It is God’s will. My head keeps getting in the way though. I hold on to fear: not knowing the answers, letting God lead my life, trusting in a future that sometimes seems murky.

Admitting our limitations gives God room to work. He is the one that makes all things possible. We need to be vulnerable. To find the edge of our possibilities and fully trust in our Creator. Click To Tweet

Vulnerable Prayer

But every day I am walking upright. Praying this prayer:

Dear God,

Help me loosen the fist of fear that lives inside of me. I am so weak and can’t do it. You have to do it for me. Let me, let You be strong for me. I know that You are my answer. I feel that truth in my heart. Quiet the doubt that creeps into my head. Thank you for the encouragement you place in front of me. Thank you for not abandoning me when I waiver. You are my rock and foundation.

love,

If you are on the journey to vulnerability with me, bless you. It is hard. But have faith in our Creator. And remember His promise:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28, KJV

Annie Spratt

let go, release, control, hold fast, worry, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Release: Letting Go of Our Control and Clinging to the Lord

DevotionalsJune 9, 2019July 30, 2019

When we release our worry and control to the Lord and cling to His promises, we can experience genuine freedom in our lives.

A few mornings ago, I awoke at dawn to the familiar sound of birds chirping outside my bedroom window. A refreshing stretch of beautiful spring weather has called for sleeping with the windows open. And each morning, I’m treated to a choir of birdsongs. There are the high pitched, staccato offerings of the finch. The cardinal’s piercing siren-like call. Soft, plaintive cooing from the mourning dove. The warbler’s high lonesome vibrato. And all this is punctuated by loud, boisterous squawking solos from the blue jays, blackbirds, and hawks!

The Woods

Over the nearly four years we’ve lived in this home, I’ve grown accustomed to this morning avian greeting. You see, although our neighborhood sits in the heart of town, we’ve been blessed to live right beside nearly 15 acres of undeveloped woods. Our family has taken daily walks with our dog in those woods. The woods have provided a natural buffer against impinging traffic noise and light pollution. And the woods have enveloped our property, creating a peaceful oasis for gathering around the fire pit with family and friends.

But within the past year, a real estate developer–that builds high-end apartment complexes–purchased the land. And soon, this wooded sanctuary will be leveled to the ground. Given all the development in this area, my husband and I used to joke that the name of our town, Wake Forest, should be changed to Wake “Used to Be” Forest. But now that the woods right next to us are on the chopping block, this moniker is no laughing matter!

The Developers

So, what has been a quiet, sleepy dead-end road in front of our house will soon become a thoroughfare. The place where our kids and their friends from the neighborhood have learned to ride their bikes and play will no longer be safe for children. And to add insult to injury, a row of large garbage receptacles for the entire apartment complex will sit a mere 20 yards from our bedroom window! So goodbye to my morning chorus of birds, and hello to the daily dumping of stinky trash and clanking recyclables!

A while back, the developers held a public hearing where they presented their site plan to the city planning department. They explained how they will maximize the property’s potential by removing all the trees, grading the land, and constructing apartment buildings with sprawling parking lots on every side. It’s like I’m seeing firsthand what Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi lyrics lamented: “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot! Ooo bop bop bop bop!”

Release

My initial reaction was to “bop” those developers over the head, mount a neighborhood insurrection, and send them packing! But, I’ve come to the realization that this is not the battle I need to fight. In fact, the whole situation has caused me to examine my own internal battle–of learning how to release those things over which I have no control.

Needless to say, I’ve had some difficulty wrapping my head and heart around this impending change. Because I’m having trouble letting go. Letting go of the wonderful memories that we’ve formed in this house. Of this peaceful place that we’ve been blessed to call home. Releasing fear and worry about what the future will hold for our family’s living situation.

But isn’t our walk of faith so often about letting go? In this case, I need to release something that’s ultimately pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. But in the past, I’ve tried to cling to things that the Lord, in His grace and mercy, was trying to take out of my hands. Things like childhood traumas, unhealthy relationships, a career that was not life-giving, a drug addiction, and a home that was too small and breaking down around me.

Casting Our Cares

Although all of those things were destructive, I was holding tightly to them because they felt so familiar to me. In many ways, I had solidified my whole identity with them. So the thought of allowing the Lord to remove them from my life felt extremely unsettling and downright frightening. But the thing was, none of them was serving me. And some of them were actually pulling me further away from the Lord.

So, in His grace and mercy, He allowed my life to crumble to the point where I eventually cried out to Him for help. I finally let go. And when I relinquished control over my life, I experienced the freedom that comes when we cast our cares on Him.

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalms 55:22

A Continual Process

And this is a continual process, isn’t it? So often, when the Lord has helped us through one challenge, there’s another difficult situation awaiting on the horizon. But when we let go and allow God to carry us through, He proves Himself faithful. Beloved, if we’ll cling to Him, we’ll see that He is good, that we can trust Him, and that He is leading and guiding us perfectly. And no matter the trial, He will be with us, shepherding us through. Because our Abba is not in the business of harming His children, but of loving and helping us.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

When we allow God to carry us through, He proves Himself faithful. If we'll cling to Him, we'll see that He is good, we can trust Him, and He is leading us perfectly. Click To Tweet

Clinging to Him

So, in the case of the development going up right next to my home, I am letting go. No longer sulking over the loss of my family’s carefree lifestyle in this home, I’m thanking the Lord for the good times that we’ve shared here. I’m releasing my worry about where we’ll end up next and whether we’ll have a soft landing. And I’m holding fast to His promises to take care of me and my family. I’m clinging to Him who says He will never leave nor forsake me.

And the LORD, he is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8

Are there things in your life that the Lord is inviting you to release? Are you clinging tightly to Him?

All scripture verses are from The King James Version of The Holy Bible.

Nick West