Do it Afraid

So do not be afraid. I am with you.  Do not be terrified. I am your God. I will make you strong and help you.  I will hold you safe in my hands. I always do what is right.  Isaiah 41:10 (NIRV)

Obedience often calls us to leave it all behind. Leave what you’re doing, your wants, your needs, your opinions, your cares, your concerns. When we are called to obedience we are stretched beyond ourselves. When we leave it all behind and walk with the One who is calling us to a new “land”, it is downright scary! Has anyone ever challenged you to “Do It Afraid”? Do what? To do whatever it is that you are passionate about; to pursue, with passion, the desire of your heart that GOD put there.

When I heard that statement for the first time a few months ago it went something like this…”Yeah, Maria, Do It Afraid. Pursue writing even though you don’t like being vulnerable and you’re afraid of what others may think. What about what I think? What about the desire I put in your heart? Why would you be afraid when it is I who is leading you to do this?”

God was clear and then you know what I did? I froze…and then I ran! I came up with a million things to do and when I started crossing things off my list, I started in on my friends’ to do lists (as if, right?!) just in case my list ran short and I needed more time to make excuses and come up with reasons NOT to be obedient to what God is clearly calling me to do.

Can I tell you a secret? I love sitting here with you right now. It’s like a release valve in my heart…I can breathe. All I’ve wanted to do is to put fingers to keyboard and allow the Holy Spirit to pour out of me and encourage you, my friends, to Do It Afraid! The joy of sharing with you is all the more reason for me to pursue this passion.

Then why did it take me so long to get here. I kept telling myself, once I have quiet and I am alone in my house, when everything is done and no one and nothing needs my attention, I’ll sit. And it was causing me to get impatient. That’s kind of funny. I was impatient with myself for putting you off. Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?  Why was I obedient to distraction (aka Satan)? Did I seriously just admit that? This is why I relish being here with you. I can be real with you. I am not alone in my sin. None of us is alone, ever.

When I invited Jesus into my heart, my life became about His will, not mine. My desire to serve Him, with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength, is my greatest passion. He has been with me, even when I strayed. He has loved me, even when I didn’t want His love or deserve it. He gives me hope every day and reminds me that I am here for a purpose. My purpose is to serve Him, whatever season of life I am in and wherever I am. And when I am obedient, even in my fear, He blesses me. My soul inhales His love and exhales His peace.

You get it, don’t you? Do It Afraid. I’m going to.

Maria Wilson is an ordinary person with a passion for Jesus.  She strives for peace of mind from a chaotic past and looks for ways to bring God into daily lives of others as a source of reassurance, not as a series of rules and commandments.  She is married, has two boys and lives in Yardley, PA.