You know how sometimes you need a kick in the pants, but you don’t want one, so you avoid situations where you think God’s going to call you out on stuff? Tonight I knew I’d probably get a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit, and I’ve been allowing myself to be mired in the rut called “I’m too busy and tired to do that.”
I went to Brave anyway and got that bop on the backside. Instead of collapsing on my couch with the next episode of “Downton Abbey” on Amazon Prime Video, I spent an hour and a half hearing God’s Word, listening for His voice, and talking with women I’d never met about the awesome power of grace to break the chains that hold us back.
God told me to let the Holy Spirit out of the closet where I’d chucked Him lately. He told me to call on the Holy Spirit to help me do the difficult things he has planned for me to do, to face fear and be brave.
My beautiful mom venturing out on a pasture trail at sunset in central Kansas.
While I was praying with the small group of women I’d never met, one of these ladies quoted a verse that has been one of my favorites for a long time because it coaxes me out of my comfort zone. I remember it being my key verse when I was in labor with each of my three children. God often brings it to my mind even now that my girls are 23, 20, and 17.
“For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
Some translations say “a sound mind” instead of self-discipline. Some days I really need that sound mind promise and other days the self-discipline.
I believe that God calls me to use my writing to encourage others. I don’t yet know all the details, but I don’t have to know the whole journey, just the next step.
As I look to Him during the trials of this season in my life, I trust that He is at work. As Laurie Graves told us at Brave, “When we stand against the devil, we get joy and patience, and eventually, we get a testimony.”
Make no mistake, my friends. God has plans for you in this very season.
What is God calling you to do in the middle of your difficult time? This isn’t a hypothetical, by the way. If you want to comment with what God is calling you to do, your words may encourage someone else to be brave enough to take the next step.