Ten Lords A Leaping

 Ten Lords A Leaping

 Courage for the Next Step

      Until recently I wasn't the greatest swimmer.  I can vividly remember learning how to swim in elementary school.  On one particular winter day we were supposed to jump off the diving board.  I stood at the end of what I thought was a plank on the side of a pirates ship preparing to jump to my doom.  Ok, I might be a little overly dramatic, but I was terrified.  My teacher said you will never go forward unless you leap.  That's been over thirty years ago.  Leaping is bold, courageous, and requires a lot of faith.  But for someone who is grieving, leaping may feel impossible or even irresponsible.   After loss, the world feels unstable.  Changes feels dangerous.  Movement feels risky.  For me personally leaping was difficult because I'm the safe, predictable, non-adventurous type.  And yet, Day Ten reminds us that God does not ask for reckless leaps—He asks for courageous steps, taken one at a time, with Him.

      Courage after loss looks different.  It changes your definition of what courage looks like.  Biblical courage is often quiet.  It looks like getting out of bed, showing up for your children, attending a gathering when it hurts, making decisions that you never wanted to make, and continuing to live when your heart is broken.

      God’s command to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9) wasn’t spoken to someone comfortable—it was spoken to someone stepping into uncertainty.  Joshua wasn't unfamiliar with leadership, but he never had to stand in Moses' shoes.  The situation had to be frightening.   Millions of people depending on him to do something that had never been done before, invade the land of Canaan.  Joshua needed strength and courage.  Joshua might have even felt uncertain.  If life feels uncertain right now, you’re exactly where courage is needed.  Courage meets you in the uncertainty.

      God never asked His people to move without His presence.  God will go with you when you step forward.  “Do not be afraid… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9)."  Grief can make you afraid to move forward because you don’t want to leave your loved one behind.  But stepping forward does not mean forgetting.  It means trusting that God carries both your past and your future.  You are not walking alone into the unknown.  God is already there.  I personally like what Corrie Ten Boom wrote, "You can trust an unknown future to a known God."  The future might seem murky to you, but God knows it with perfect clarity.  We can take steps because He's already there.

      Many people believe they must feel ready before they move.  But courage usually comes after the step—not before it.  You don’t need clarity for the next year.  You don’t need confidence for the rest of your life.  You only need enough courage for the next right thing.  God meets you in motion.  Imagine a baby.  Babies take tiny, shaky steps forward.  They aren't confident, but boy do we celebrate those steps into the unknown.  God cheers for us as we take small, bold steps forward, even ones that don't seem to measure up.  Each inch, each millimeter,  each hair's breadth is forward progress.  Your leaps might be small.  Things like returning a phone call, saying yes to an invitation for someone to help you, trying a new hobby, revisiting a place that holds memories, listening to a song that is important, asking God honest questions, etc.  Your leaps don't have to be dramatic.  God celebrates these small leaps.  Every step forward in grief is an act of trust.

      Courage does not mean the absence of fear.  Read that again.  Make note of it.  I'm courageously moving forward with my life each day, and I see such good things in front of me, but I'm still afraid from time to time.  Courage means moving with fear instead of being ruled by it.  God isn't rushing you.  Instead He is like a loving Father cheering for you, He is patient with your pace.  He walks beside you, not ahead of you yelling instructions.

      So, ask yourself this big question, “what is one small step God may be inviting me to take?”  It doesn’t have to be big.  It doesn’t have to be public.  It doesn’t have to be permanent.  Just one step of faith.  One step closer to the heart of the Father.

Reflection Question

      - What is one small step that you've taken in the last

         few months?

      - What is a step that you can pray for the faith or 

         courage to take?

A Prayer for Courage

God,

The future feels uncertain, and I feel afraid.  Give me courage—not for everything ahead, but for today.  Help me trust You as I take the next step, even if my heart is trembling.  Remind me that You walk with me and that I am never alone.

Amen.