Distrusting God?

"We distrust God when we are fearful of losing control. When we try to take control we ultimately leave no room for God to be God." (Lysa TerKeurst, Trustworthy)

Those were the first two sentence that started the Bible study I was working on that day. And they hit me like a sucker punch in the gut.

I'd spent most of the week leading up to that day living fearful of losing control in a part of my life. My ability to imagine the worst case scenario outcome of something had been racing ahead of reality for days. And I was exhausted because of it.

Living in fear of losing control is exhausting. 

Living in a constant state of imagining the worst possible outcome of a situation is exhausting.

And I knew that.

But, until I read those words, I hadn't connected them to my current situation.

The part of those words that hit the hardest was that my fear of losing control was actually distrusting God. I don't usually think of all of my efforts to control things as distrust of God. But, as I thought about it more, I realized how true it was.

I had an entire week of studying the lives of a couple less well-known kings of Israel and Judah to really see that. 1 Kings 12 & 13 tell us about the first two kings of the divided kingdom that followed Solomon. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, made some poor choices and the kingdom was divided. 

Jeroboam became king over the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. And, he began to make decisions that revealed his distrust in God and his fear of losing control. These choices led Israel into idolatry and turning away from God.

It can be easy to read this and think we won't do that. We're not kings and we're likely not going to build golden calves for people to worship. That may be true, but when we stop to look at what drives some of our decisions, we may see more similarities than we do at first - at least I did when I read it.

1 Kings 12:26-27 says:

Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will give their allegiance to the their lord, Rehoboam, king of Judah. They will kill me and return to king Rehoboam.

Jeroboam was afraid of losing control of the people and that led him to make choices that proved he didn't really trust God. Those choices led him and Israel astray.

But, Jeroboam had a promise from God (see 1 Kings 11:29-40), that he could trust. When things stopped going clearly as he though they would, Jeroboam reacted in fear of losing control and revealed his distrust in God.

How often do we do the same thing in our own lives?

This is exactly what I'd been doing in the week leading up to this realization. And, as I studied the outcome of it, I knew it wasn't where I wanted to stay. I had to make a choice to trust God with what I can't control. I had to let go of the fear of losing control. And I still have to choose that everyday in this area of my life right now. But, I know it's the best choice.

Is there an area of your life where your fear of losing control means you are not trusting God?

What would it look like to trust God in this area of your life today?

We Need More than Nice Words on a Sign

"Worry ends where faith begins"

"Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its troubles; they empty today of its joy"

"Faith means you have peace, even when the world doesn't have peace"

These are words I've read regularly on a couple of church signs I drive by. They've said the same things since sometime in March.

At first, I read them and moved on. But the longer I see them, the more frustrated I've become with the message.

They're good sounding words. They should like they could be encouraging in an uncertain time. There's even a bit of truth to what they say.

But even those thoughts reveal the problem with them. Yes, they sound good. But, if you're actually struggling with worry, fear, anxiety, they've not encouraging words. They sound like a platitude - you just have to have more faith.

Is the message on these signs in line with Scripture?

Yes. A quick reading would say that.

But, I would also say no. I think that's why, over time, these messages have begun to frustrate me. 

What do I mean?

Yes, Scripture tells us not to worry. And Scripture encourages us to have faith.

No, because Scripture also acknowledges the struggle with worry, fear, anxiety and gives us a whole lot more than just an admonishment to have more faith. Scripture doesn't set worry and faith as opposites - even though we like to do that.

Let's take a look at some of what Scripture actually says.

One of the most commonly quoted Scriptures is Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus' teaching on worry in Sermon on the Mount. We're clearly told not to worry. Jesus makes the futility of worry pretty clear here. He also tells us to choose to seek God first in our lives instead.

But, what we're not told is significant here. We're not told that worry means we don't have faith. Jesus tells us not to worry and He tells us to seek God first, but this passage doesn't say that worry, fear, anxiety negates faith. I would argue that to seek God first instead of staying stuck in worry, fear, anxiety, means you have some measure of faith to begin with - even though you also have worry, fear, anxiety.

We like to use Philippians 4:6-7 in these discussions as well. In these verses, Paul tells us to go to God with our worries, fears, anxieties. We're told to tell them to God so we can experience His peace. If those worries, fears, anxieties mean we don't have faith, why would our response be prayer? That makes no sense.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we're told to "cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." Again, if those anxieties, fears, worries mean you have no faith, why would you cast them on Jesus? To choose to cast them on Jesus, you would need to believe that He cares about you and wants to know.

We can worry about things and still have faith. If worry, fear, anxiety is the antithesis of faith, it would be hard for many of us to have faith. Who hasn't worried sometimes? Who hasn't dealt with fear over certain things? Who hasn't had anxieties?

I believe it all comes down to what we do with our worries, fears, anxieties. We can have them alongside faith, if we're choosing to take our worries, fears, anxieties to Jesus.

Carrying our worries, fears, anxieties on our own will cause us to miss out on what's going on in the moment. But it's not as simple as telling someone that. Sometimes we might need to help them take their worries, fears, anxieties to Jesus.

That's something I'm grateful for a friend doing for me recently. I was struggling with all that's going on and the worry, fear, anxiety it has brought to my life. After seeing me in an inline meeting where I wasa struggling to hold it together, this friend phoned me.

She listened, pointed me to the truth of Scripture, and prayed for me on the phone. In doing so, she helped me take my worries, fears, anxieties to Jesus and leave them there, because I had faith that He could take them and carry them better than I could.

I didn't need church signs with good sounding words on them to help me with my worry, fear, anxiety. I didn't need to be told to just have more faith. I needed to be reminded that I have a place I can take my worry, fear, anxiety. And I needed a friend to remind me that I still had faith.

So, maybe, rather than looking for good sounding words, we can instead help one another walk out the faith we already have when we're struggling.

What is Courage?

"Courage is fear that has said its prayers."

Those words were said to me by a friend in a conversation a little over 10 years ago. Something about these words resonated with me.

My friend wasn't saying that the fear had to go away for courage to exist. Rather, they were saying that courage can exist right alongside fear.

What it all comes down to, is how we handle the fear.

Are we going to allow fear to hold us back from doing something?

Or are we going to do it anyways - even if we still have fear?

I'm not talking about fear that keeps us safe, or keeps us from doing something stupid. That's a healthy and needed fear. The fear I'm talking about is the fear that often keeps us from doing what God is asking us to do. The fear that keeps us from stepping into an opportunity God is providing for us.

The kind of feat holds us back from what God has in store for us. It causes us to miss out on what God may be wanting to do in and through us.

This is what we sometimes have to choose to do something despite the fear. When we choose courage, and in the process, allow God to be shown in and through us.

We only develop this kind of courage when we've taken the time to develop our relationship with God. When we know Him well enough that we can admit our fear about what He's asking of us and declare our trust in Him for the outcome, even in the midst of fear.

"Courage is fear that has said its prayers."

Where do you need courage today?

How if fear holding you back?

Have you talked to God about it?

Will you choose to trust God and move forward anyways?

Are You Letting Fear Kill Your Dreams?

"If we're more impressed with bad men, than a good God, fear will kill our dreams." - Gary Haugen

I was at the Global Leadership Summit last week and the words that I opened this post with have been stuck in my mind ever since. They were spoken by the speaker from the closing session - Gary Haugen, founder and president of International Justice Mission.

The entire closing session was on fear and how it can destroy any dream we have if we allow it to. No matter what our training or our knowledge or our dream, fear can completely destroy us. Haugen then went on to talk about how we can stand against fear and not allow us to destroy our dream.

This is when he said the words I opened this post with.

"If we're more impressed with bad men, than a good God, fear will kill our dreams."

When God has given us a dream, something He's asking us to do, whether we are actually able to do it or not depends on where we're looking and on who we're walking with. 

We can look at the size of the dream and all that could go wrong, and allow our fear to take over. We can look at all of those who oppose our dream, and allow fear to destroy us.

OR . . .

We can look at the God Who gave us the dream, and move forward on it. We can choose to surround ourselves with people who will encourage us and help us keep our focus on God, and move forward on it.

I've been challenged the last few days, with these thoughts about fear, and where I'm focusing.

"If we're more impressed with bad men, than a good God, fear will kill our dream."

Where are you focused?

On what could go wrong?

Or on what could go right?

Keep your eyes on our good God and surround yourself with people doing the same thing, and you'll be able to move forward in the dream, the calling, that God has given you.

Where is Your Refuge?

"You boast: We have entered into a covenant with death,
          with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
          it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
          and falsehood our hiding place."
                                              -Isaiah 28:15

A covenant with death?
An agreement with the realm of the dead?
A lie our refuge?
Falsehood our hiding place?

Those words seem ridiculous to read. It doesn't seem like something most people do and then boast about.

Except, I think we do exactly this all the time. We build what we think is a safe place for ourselves on a lie we're believing about God, or ourselves, or our world.

We don't always know that's what we're doing at the start. But that doesn't change how ridiculous what we've done is.

The good news is, we don't have to stay in this place. We can get free from our covenant with death, our refuge in a lie, and our hiding place in falsehood.

"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
          a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
          will never be stricken with panic.
I will make justice the measuring line
          and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
          and water will overflow your hiding place.
Your covenant with death will be annulled;
          your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand."
                                                                    -Isaiah 28:16-18

Building our lives on lies and falsehood will always bring destruction for us. They won't stand.

But, God has provided us a place we can build a refuge and hiding place that will stand no matter what. We can build our lives on the foundation that is Him and then it won't matter what comes our way. We will never be "stricken with panic," because we'll know we can continue to stand on our sure foundation.

A life built on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, will stand in the middle of storms. When our lives are built on Christ, we experience a peace that comes from Him - a peace that we can't explain any other way.

One Deadly Thing we do Too Much

Comparison kills.

It kills . . . friendships.
            . . . ministry opportunities.
            . . . joy.
            . . . satisfaction.
            . . . our relationship with God.

I was reminded of the deadly role of comparison recently. It didn't seem like it was a big deal. It was just a passing thought. But, a few hours later, I realized that momentary thought was having a deadly impact on my ministry in this situation.

As I sat with a group of people praying together, the thought crossed my mind that the other people in the group seemed to pray more eloquently and with more smoothly flowing words than me. I quickly dismissed the thought as being ridiculous - I mean, why would anyone compare that?

It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized the impact of that passing thought. I didn't pray much in that group after I made that comparison. Even a fleeting comparison of my prayers to others' prayers had killed that time of engaging in prayer ministry in that situation. And, if I'd left it undealt with would have eventually killed any prayer ministry opportunities in the future.

Comparison is an insidious plan from Satan to kill what God wants to do in and through us. In the moment it seems harmless. We think nothing of it. We often miss the impact it has on us until later.

Comparison keeps us held back in fear. We're not good enough. We'll never do it as well as someone else. Comparison leaves us cowering in a corner trying to protect ourselves, rather than living the life God wants us to live.

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." Satan is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Comparison is one of the tools he uses to do this. It's an effective tool in his arsenal because it can seem harmless in the moment.

Jesus offers us life - an abundant life - if we choose to follow Him. He invites us into a life we couldn't imagine on our own. We have to step out and trust that He is with us in it - that He will never fail or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Even when comparison would kill us, when we're facing our own insecurities about how to do something, we choose to trust God and go with Him.

I fight each day against falling to the comparison game that always leaves me wanting. It kept me from doing what God asked me to do for far too long. Now that I know what comes when I don't give in to comparison, I don't want to do back. But, it's still a choice I make daily and I still have to deal with moments when I give in to the comparison game again.

The difference comes when we choose to go to God with it when we begin to make those comparisons. Instead of giving into the fear, the need to protect ourselves, the death that comes with comparison, we need to seek God's perspective on the matter.

When I realized the comparison I had made was having a negative impact on things, I instead asked God for His perspective on what He was seeing there. I asked Him how He saw me in that setting. As my perspective changed, I realized that it's not eloquent or smoothly flowing words that make prayers effective, it's the heart behind them. And that meant my comparison was worthless and an attempt by Satan to steal, kill, and destroy in my life.

Then I had a choice to make. I could continue to believe the lie that came from the comparison, or I could choose to believe God and see things from His perspective. But, I had to choose. I couldn't be passive about it. I had to make a choice and act from that point.

We all have that choice when we realize we've gotten caught in the comparison trap. We can stay there and allow that comparison to kill. Or, we can ask God for His perspective and change our view on the situation. What will you choose to do?

Faith in the Midst of Fear

Matthew 8:23-27 records Jesus calming a storm for His frightened disciples. They were on a boat, with Jesus sleeping, when a violent storm came up. A storm that scared the disciples.

Some of the disciples were fishermen and had been through storms before, but this storm caused them fear. The disciples wake Jesus in their fear that they are going to drown in the storm.

Jesus asks a simple, yet deeply challenging question of His disciple in Matthew 8:26: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"

Jesus asked the question while the storm was still raging - while the cause of the disciples' fear was still very real all around them. He wanted them to know Who He was in the middle of the storm - in the middle of their fear.

God does the same with us. When life throws something at us and we cry out to Him in fear that the storm we're in will kill us, He says to us: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" He asks us the same question He asked His disciples.

Jesus didn't calm the storm and remove what was causing the disciples' fear right away. He asked them to trust Him and rest on what they knew of Him in the middle of the storm.

The same is true for us. Jesus asks us to trust Him in the middle of the storm. While the wind is howling and the waves are crashing, He asks us to trust Him. To put our faith in Him in the midst of fear.

Are you in the middle of a storm that is causing you fear?

Have you called out to God for help?

Have you chosen to trust Him and rest on what you know of Him in the middle of your storm? In the middle of your fear?

Why do we Hide & Pretend?

In my post a few days ago I talked about the burdens of hiding and pretending that we do often carry. And about how we can lay down these burdens that take so much of our energy to carry.

It sounds so simple to say the way to lay down these burdens is to have people we're honest with about the good and the bad in our lives. In truth, it is as simple as it sounds, but there is something that makes living it more difficult.

"When it comes to living truthfully with others one of our primary struggles is that we seem to be of two minds: we long for the truth and we are afraid of the truth. Longing to be - and fear of being - known." (Stage 2: Community with Others, Vantage Point 3: A Way of Life)

At the same time as we long to be really known by other, we also fear it. And often this fear keeps us from living truthfully with others.

We fear being truthful with others for many reasons:

• we've been shamed for sharing things in the past
• we've been hurt for doing so in the past
• we don't know anyone who has done it before
• we're ashamed of our struggles
• we've been taught that sharing our struggles is a bad thing

I'm sure there are many more reasons that could be given. Each of us has our own reasons for fearing being known at the same time as we long for it.

The first step to overcoming this fear is to admit it. We have to start by acknowledging that it is a fear there. Confess it to God and to other carefully chosen people. As we choose to take steps to be transparent with others despite our fear of doing so, the fear loses its grips on our lives. And the next time becomes a bit easier than the last, until we're no longer bound by this fear.

We have to allow our longing to be known to be stronger than our fear of being known. It's not easy, but it is the most rewarding way to live.

God Saves

Part three of a series on Psalm 34. You can read the intro here and part one here.


I sought the LORD, and He answered me;
     He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
     their faces are never covered with shame.
The poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
     He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
     and He delivers them.
                                               Psalm 34:4-7


After declaring the need to praise God in the midst of all circumstances, David moves on to a reminder that God will come to those who call out to Him for rescue.


"I sought the LORD, and He answered me . . ."

David looked to find God in the midst of His situation. When trouble came his way, he called out to God. And when he called out to God, God answered him. God is listening for the cries of His people because He wants to answer them.


". . . He delivered me from all my fears . . ."

God doesn't want us to live in fear. He wants to provide us with freedom from the fear that can hold  us back from what He has for us. When we call out to Him in the midst of circumstances where we are full of fear, He comes and rescues us from those fears. All He asks to deliver us from those fears is that we come to Him with them.


". . . Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame . . ."

Choosing to look to God in the midst of any circumstances we may face changes everything. When we look to God we reflect His glory and goodness to the world around us. No matter what we face, we can reflect God to the world around us. We just have to choose to look to Him.

Another amazing thing happens when we choose to look to God . . . He removes the shame we may be feeling. When we go to God with everything and ask for His forgiveness and His strength in the situation all shame is removed. Shame can hold us back from God has for us. He is waiting to remove it, because it's not of Him. He removes that shame when we go to Him with it.


". . . The poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles . . ."

Everyone can call to God. There's no social standing that would prevent us from calling out to God and being heard by Him. Whatever the situation, we can call to God for rescue and He will come to rescue us from it.


". . . The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them."

Every time I read verses that talk about fearing God, I have to stop and think about what that means. It's not language we commonly use today. And when we do talk about fear it's not in the way being spoken of here. To fear the LORD is to show Him respect and awe for Who He is.

Those who show God respect and awe for Who He is are protected by God. He sends His angels to protect us from harm - from attacks of Satan. God delivers us from Satan's attacks who is out to harm us.

Risking Vulnerability

Why are we so afraid of vulnerability?

What causes us so much fear when we feel vulnerable?

In a book I was reading recently, the author made mention that while we have become masters at other things, “we are scared to death of the intimately personal.” (Mark Steele, Christianish). Those words jumped off the page at me.

A little bit later in the same chapter of the book, the author is talking about someone overcoming a fear of heights, and comments that, “we may not have a phobia about heights, but we certainly have one about depth.” (Mark Steele, Christianish). Reading similar words a second time stuck in my head.

I’ve been thinking about it since.

Why do we have this fear of things that seem personal? That make us feel vulnerable to share them with others?

If this fear logical? Is it how we should be feeling? Or should the way we operate look different that being afraid to be vulnerable?

I think we have this fear of being vulnerable because it goes against what our culture tells us we should be. We’re told that we need to be strong. We’re told that we need to have it all together.

And being vulnerable often means admitting we’re weak. Admitting that we don’t have it all together.

Since it goes against what we’ve been told, we struggle with it.

But, when I look at Scripture, I see much that goes against what culture tells us. We’re not told we have to be strong and have it all together.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

We can’t help carry another believer’s burdens if we don’t know what they are. And we won’t know what they are, if they don’t tell us. To tell other believers what our burdens are requires that we be vulnerable with them.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)

We can’t rejoice with people who are rejoicing if we don’t know they are. And we can’t mourn with those who are mourning if we don’t know they are. Again, to be able to do these things, they have to tell us and it requires vulnerability.

Those are just two of many times in Scripture where we are told to help each other out. It’s a common theme. And the early church is full of examples of believers helping each other with everyday life.

So, if Scripture says this is how we are supposed to live, why does it cause so much fear for many of us?

Being vulnerable with another person is risky. We have to admit our weaknesses and the we don’t have it all together. And we often have to do this without knowing 100% how they will handle that information.

We hope we have chosen well in who we share it with. We hope they won’t use that information against us in the future. But, we don’t know for sure. So it’s risky to be vulnerable. But, we can’t use someone using our vulnerability with them in the wrong way as an excuse to shut down and stop sharing.

Despite the risk, we learn there is something rewarding about being vulnerable with the right people. We see our burdens lifted. We see the power that something being a secret had in our lives broken. We are encouraged.

It may seem like a better choice to stay safe by not being vulnerable with other people, but the risk is worth it. We may find ourselves fearful in the moment when we’re vulnerable, but I do believe that the risk and the fear is worth it – even if sometimes it backfires on us.

I’ve been one of the people that being vulnerable with others scares for much of my life. I took a few experiences where it didn’t go so well and used them as my reason why I would never be vulnerable with anyone again. I thought I was protecting myself, but the truth was that I was isolating myself and it was getting lonely.

Then, a couple months ago, I was at a retreat with my church, where we got honest about our lives and where we were at with each other. Honestly, I wasn’t too sure about that. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go there. But, as I did, I discovered something. My life was not that much different than the two people I was sharing with. Sure, our struggles were different, but all three of us had them.

Learning to be vulnerable there and to continue it in the weeks since, hasn’t been a journey free of fear. I still deal with that. But, I’m learning that the freedom and encouragement that comes with being vulnerable is worth the risk and worth facing the fear every time.

We’re not as strong as we think we are. We’re not as strong as we would like to be. We need other people who really know us. God created us that way. We have to take the risk to be vulnerable. It’s the only way to really live.

Five Minute Friday: After

Joining in with Five Minute Friday and Lisa-Jo Baker's blog today. Today's word is "after."


After . . .

It's a word we use to delay pursuing something in our lives.

I'll do that after I . . .
     . . . finish my degree
     . . . get married
     . . . get a better job
     . . . have enough money in the bank.

We can give a list of excuses for what we're waiting for before we pursue something. We often say we'll do something after we meet a certain requirement of some kind.

There's always something we have to do before we get to pursuing that dream. The dream comes after all sorts of other things.

But there's something we miss when we continually put those dreams off until after.

We miss the joy and fear of trusting God as we step out into the unknown.

If we wait until after we've achieved the great life and the financial security we claim we need to pursue a dream, we miss out on that. And often we miss out on the dream no matter what.

Because we can always find something more we have to achieve or acquire first. The after holds us back.

One little word . . . five letters . . . and the potential to impact our lives in huge ways.

What are you waiting for before you pursue something? What is your after?

Are you willing to take a chance now and take a step towards that dream before you reach your after?

7 Quotes That Have Impacted How I Live

The written word has always spoken to me. Over the years I have read several things that jumped off the page at me and have had an impact on how I live my life.

A couple of people in a writer's group I'm a part of have written posts on seven quotes that have been inspirational for them. And they've challenged the rest of us to do the same.

For some the challenge may be finding seven quotes. For me the challenge was keeping it to only seven. I collect quotes that challenge me or make me think. For this I picked seven quotes that have impacted the way I live my life to share with you. I hope they speak to you as well.

I don't always find it easy to love people. Lots of the time people annoy or frustrate me. But that can be a lonely way to live. If you can't love people, you live an isolated existence.

People become easier for me to love when I look for the image of God in them. All of us were created in the image of God and we still carry it in us, even if it's marred right now.

When we live our lives looking for what is still there of the image of God in people, it becomes easier to love them. And those glimpses of we see are how God intended them to completely be.

We must look for the image of God in everyone and love them because of it. Then we begin to see those people as God intended us to see them in the first place, and love them.

I may have actually seen this one on a sign somewhere. I don't know who would have written it, but it spoke to me when I saw it. Because I do this far too often.

I have two choices when tomorrow comes. I can live the day in front of me. Or I can spend tomorrow dwelling on what I did today - the good and the bad.

If I choose tomorrow to replay everything from today, I will lose tomorrow. I will let today take over tomorrow.

This quote challenges me not to do that. I need to let today be today and tomorrow to be tomorrow. Instead of dwelling on today, tomorrow I need to move forward having learned from today.

Life isnt' always easy. Sometimes God feels far away or He seems silent.

It's in those moments when we call to God with questions and don't get an answer, but we know He's there with us, that truly changes us.

Comparison. It's deadly. Yet we do it all the time.

Who has the better house, car haircut, clothes, job, family. Who looks more put together.

Comparison is something we do all the time, but we forget one important truth. We're taking the mess of our lives that we try to hide from everyone else and compare it to the best of everyone we meet. If we're presenting only our best to the world, then it would probably be reasonable to assume everyone else is as well.

So why compare our mess to their best? When we think it through, it really doesn't make sense. It sets us up to be insecure and feel less than.

Do you know what you're supposed to do? Then do it, whether you think it will be successful or not. If we hold ourselves back because we're too worried about whether we'll fail at it, we miss out on too much of life.

We are to work at what we do, most of the time without notice. And not get caught up in worrying about whether we will succeed or fail. Making mistakes, even failing, will happen sometimes. That's life and we can't allow it to hold us back.

What exactly life will look like one month, one year, or five years down the road may be unknown to us. But we can rest assured that the God we know does know. And because we know God and know He loves us, we can trust Him with our future. We don't have to be afraid to leave it in His hands.

God can redeem anything and anyone to use them for His glory. No matter how big I think I screwed up, God can redeem it. A failure is never the end of my usefulness for God. That means it's safe for me to try something new. For me to take a risk.


Well, those are my seven quotes that have inspired me, challenged me, and encouraged me. Maybe they'll do the same for you.

I'd love to hear what quotes you would include in your list. Leave a comment below with them. Or a link to you your post of them on your blog.