Even when I know that the sensation is all in my head, the paralysis begins to feel physical and impossible to reason away. When I feel paralyzed, it’s as if my feet are stuck in deep mud and I no matter how much strength I muster, I can’t make them budge to take a step in faith. Sadly, this feeling is so common to me that it becomes comfortable and makes me want to stay stuck.
In spite of this, I cannot allow myself to wallow in the mud, because the Lord whispers through His Word that He has plans for me. He reminds me that He created me for a specific purpose, one that no one else on earth can accomplish in exactly the same way. (He has that same sort of purpose for you too, my friend!) The Lord bestowed a unique combination upon each of us: spiritual gifts, talents, personality traits, and individual life experiences, all woven together into the beautiful tapestry of our lives. When I look at my life from an eternal perspective, I see that every prior moment has led me exactly to this point. Sensing the Lord’s hand on my back and moving forward in His strength, I can begin to lift my feet from the miry clay. My desire to move forward for Him and for His glory alone equips me to take a step in the direction of His calling.
In her book Becoming a Woman of Simplicity, Cynthia Heald offers the following quote by Bruce Bugbee:
“Why are you doing what others can do,
when you are leaving undone what only you can do?”
I encourage you today to step out in faith. Move toward serving Him in a new or deeper way. Simply say, “Yes, Lord!”
I can’t wait to hear your story!
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV
When we're in the mud, we might as well make "mud pies."
ReplyDeleteOur Lord showed us His Way of making use of mud with the blind man.
May we be the BEST 'mudders' around!
Thanks for sharing this Cathy, encouraging — like sisters holding hands as they walk along The WAY.
Hope your writing coming along!