Over the past few years, I’ve lost a lot of family members. And one of my brothers has been battling metastatic cancer. The entire process has been painful—hard to adjust to—difficult for me to move on.
The night before my mother died, she told me, “You need to slow down, honey. Take care of yourself.”
Easier said than done.
Soon after, God impressed upon my heart that I should rest.
So I did.
This year, though, He’s nudging me in a new direction. I sense it has to do with my writing, but I have no idea where I’m going, except . . . forward. And I feel like a child wandering in the wilderness.
Yet part of me is excited. You know, to finally step
out of the shadows.
But there’s another part of me which is frightened. How do
I move forward when I can't see? When the majority of what I’m
familiar with has been stripped away, and many of the touchstones in my life have
been removed?
I’m reminded of Abraham. God told him to leave all; to
go to a land that God would show him. But God didn’t tell him where it was.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into
a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went
out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise,
as in a strange country, dwelling in
tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise”
(Hebrews 11:8-9 KJV).
This is one of the many things I love about God. For
every tough situation we face, He has an example for us to follow. And He even
shows us the outcome, if we’ll listen.
"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4: 3 KJV).
I’m still scared. I’d be lying if I said otherwise,
but I know God is in control. He is my Father. He loves me, wants what’s best
for me—knows me better than anyone else ever could.
So I guess I’ll put one foot in front of the other
and move forward. It might be slow going at first, but God will carry me. He
always has.
Blessed be your name, Lord, for you are good, and your
mercy endures forever. For there is none liken unto thee, Lord, no not one. God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the seed of Abraham, my friend.
Note: Today's post is part of the CW blog chain. The topic is "Forward".
Please check out my sidebar, further down on the right, to see some great posts
by other writers.