Taking Bold Steps

This month is a month that is heavy with meaning for our family. It comes on the heels of the anniversary of my mother’s passing and marks the births of two of our boys and the losses of our two angel babies. But, it also commemorates the momentous official adoption day for our two youngest boys. A crazy, emotional roller-coaster of a journey and one of the biggest steps of faith we’ve ever taken, this was one that we might have missed entirely if we had let grief and fear get in the way of what God was calling us to do.

This past summer, I watched my boys launch themselves into the lake on a hot day, yelling for me to join them. “Just jump!” they said. How did they do that? The water certainly promised reprieve from the heat, but I still hesitated at the edge, tentatively inching my way in because it was cold. I did eventually take the plunge, and after the initial shock I found it very refreshing, just as I had known it would be. So, why had I hesitated?  

We do the same thing in life all the time, don’t we? Even when we know something good awaits us, we hesitate to leave what’s comfortable, what’s familiar. But as I have been learning about the goodness of God and beginning to understand just how much He loves me, I have realized that because of His love, He is going to call me out of what I know and ask me to trust Him. To step out of the boat, like Peter did in Matthew 14, so that I can learn to walk on the waves with Him. Into places that will be over my head, where my reliance on Him will be not only beneficial, but absolutely necessary.

As I reflected on this recently, I wondered – what blessings might we miss because we hesitate or ignore when God calls us to step into something new?

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…”

Joshua 1:3a (NKJV)

In Joshua chapter 1, God gave instructions to the Israelites preparing to enter the Promised Land. They had been in the wilderness for a long time and they were eager to take the land God has promised to them and finally have a place to set down roots. But that was going to mean leaving everything they knew, everything that was “comfortable” behind. Up to now, their food was delivered from heaven every morning in the form of manna, their clothing didn’t wear out, their needs were supernaturally provided for, and they had an established routine of how they conducted their days and lived their lives. All of that was about to change.

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread…” The first time I read that phrase, it caught my attention. The soles of their feet. Not the toes. There could be no timid, tip-toeing in to receive the inheritance God had promised, or shrinking back in fear. There would be no sneaking in undetected or surreptitious “settling down” alongside their neighbours. No. They’d seen what fear had cost the generation before them. If Israel was to follow the Lord’s commands and receive what He had promised to their forefathers, they would have to enter the land as conquerors.

They would need to firmly plant their feet, taking confident, bold steps. Not advancing in their own strength, but faithfully trusting in the God of the impossible, Who would go before them.

It meant keeping their eyes on Him, and abandoning the mindset of fear and doubt that had prevented the previous generation from seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise and left them wandering the wilderness for 40 years instead. God promised to go with Israel and give them victory, but they had to be obedient and move forward in faith.

This truth got real for me when God called us to become a foster family several years ago. I was still walking the road to recovery from back to back miscarriages, when these words dropped into my heart.

 “Come a little deeper.”

I already felt like I was drowning. Reeling from the losses and in the throes of grief. How could I possibly “go deeper”? But, I recognized the voice of God, calling me to trust Him with our next steps. To plunge in over my head. The push to take this bold step into the world of child welfare became glaringly obvious to both my husband and I as He spoke to us individually. So, we took a deep breath, clasped hands, and we obeyed.

We stepped out.

Like the Israelites entering Canaan, it wasn’t easy. Our faith was tested, the road difficult, and we experienced both brokenness and restoration. Joy and grief so co-mingled they were basically inseparable. But God proved Himself faithful, walking with us. And time and time again, He showed up in ways we never expected, connected us with people we wouldn’t otherwise have met. He ministered to us through complete strangers and stretched us to lengths we didn’t know were possible. And as we kept our eyes on Him and took step after step, our faith – and our family – grew in ways we never anticipated.

Now, as I look at my family, I think of all we would have missed if we hadn’t said “yes”. I recognize the difference that one decision made in not just our lives, but in the lives of our two precious little boys and even their extended families. I marvel at God’s goodness and I’m thankful that we chose to trust and obey when God called. Because despite the challenges and the battles that were fought, we are reaping the blessings of obedience and we continue to see His work of restoration unfold.

Has God asked something of you, that you’ve been reluctant to do? Is He calling you to move beyond what’s familiar, to take a step of faith? Maybe you haven’t yet placed your trust in Jesus and that is your first step. I want to encourage you today – don’t let fear ensnare you. Keep your eyes on Jesus and step out. Not with hesitant, timid steps, but firmly planted strides. Grounded in the Author and Finisher of your faith, and trusting in His Love for you and His faithfulness, place your hand in His and walk confidently into all God has for you. And just see where He will take you.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)