I’m tackling something new and there’s a lot involved!
For me, it’s a major life shift just like going off to kindergarten is a major life shift for a child. The Lord has been dealing with me about it just like a parent prepares a child for that first day of school. The time has finally come for me to get on the bus and go to school, time to get down to business and do exactly what the Lord is telling me to do.
What’s involved for me? Probably some of the same things that you will face as you tackle something new, be it big or small. We’ll talk about these together.
Hard Work
Right now I’m feeling exhausted. I’ve been trying to figure out something on this website. I’ve been in stuck mode for days now. There’s no website developer or designer to turn to. Just me, numerous tutorial articles and videos, and trial and error. And a lot of hard work.
The project is coming along slowly but surely, and I’m grateful. I’m humbled by the fact that God is calling me to a new ministry. And excited.
Actually, I love creating, so the process has my adrenaline pumping. But now I’ve come to a halt, or at least I’ve slowed down to maybe 2nd gear. The answer to my technical dilemma may be quite simple, but it’s eluding me. However, I must work on through the tedium, and I will.
Definitely hard work is involved in tackling something new, and this will be discussed in Part 2 of this series. What else is involved?
Fear of Failure and Rejection
And then there’s the question of whether I will fail or be rejected. I’ll finally figure out the technical issue I’m stuck on. But will my readers and viewers like what I share when I finally launch? Will they read my blog posts or watch my videos at all? What if I put all this time and energy, my heart even, into this project and it goes absolutely nowhere?
Failure. Rejection. These are real fears that even very successful people have to face. Yes, people of all ages and levels of success have these questions when attempting something new.
In our third blog post in our series, we will elaborate more on this barrier.
Possibility of Success
In addition to fearing failure and rejection, there is the concern about success. That might not seem to make sense, but think about it for a moment. When success comes, what comes along with it? Sacrifice, time, commitment, and guarding of our heart against pride to name a few things. Success doesn’t come alone.
The work will be ongoing whether I’m having a good week or a bad week. My heart and soul need to be in this project for it to be successful.
Come back for Part 4 of this series to read more about the issue of success.
Concern About God’s Will
And perhaps the mother of all barriers and the one we’ll talk about today – What if it isn’t God telling me to do this? The enemy likes this one. In fact, we often fail right from the get go because we aren’t sure we’re in God’s will. Because of this uncertainty, we never even embark on what could be a surprisingly awesome and fulfilling chapter in our journey with the Lord!
Maybe it’s not a whole new chapter of life. Maybe we feel the Lord wants us to take brownies to our next-door neighbor. This is also tackling something new. In fact, this may be where the rubber really meets the road. Little things like this can be so frightening, but we can be used by God on a regular basis when we listen to him in these little things.
It’s time to face that “new thing” in our life! Baking brownies for a neighbor. Or building a business. Or whatever the Lord is impressing upon us.
Have you ever tackled something new?
Maybe you feel like you’re off to kindergarten all over again. That gigantic, yellow, fun-looking but super-scary bus is at the end or your driveway, and you’re hesitant to board. There will be kids you don’t know on the bus, let alone in the classroom.
Will your teacher be mean or nice? What if you have to pee? What if you don’t know which bus to get on after school or the bus driver drops you off at someone else’s house? And you never, ever get back home again.
What if? What if? We all face the “what ifs” of life. But wouldn’t you rather face the “what ifs” rather than the “if onlys”! If only I had done this. Or, if only I had done that.
When we get to heaven and are finally with the Lord forever, we don’t want to find out that there was so much more we could have done for him but failed to do. For whatever reason. Perhaps some of the reasons we’re talking about today. I love this quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
Let’s look at these four areas that trouble us when tackling something new. Today we’ll talk about knowing if God is really speaking to us. And stay tuned for my next three posts that will cover the other three areas.
How do I know it’s God?
Maybe God is asking you to do something new. Maybe or maybe not. It’s not always easy to know. Could be just your emotions or the pizza you ate last night!
One of the main things that keeps us from stepping out in a project, from something very big to something very small, is uncertainty about where the interest or desire is coming from. For serious Christians, it’s extremely important to know that answer. It really matters to you.
So, is this desire to tackle something new from God, and how do we know? This answer could be volumes long, but here are some helpful points.
Helpful points to know if something is God’s will:
Four principles from Hannah Whitall Smith
Hannah shares insights into discerning if something is God’s will in her book The Christian’s Secret Of a Happy Life. She says that God will surely voice himself to you. Here are her four principles that need to be present.
1. Biblical principles
2. Conviction of judgment
3. Providential circumstances for its carrying out (Quakers – the “way opens”)
4. Clear inward impressionThese 4 voices will harmonize. If any one of these tests fails, it is not safe to proceed. You must wait in quiet trust until the Lord shows you the point of harmony, which he will, sooner or later, if it is His voice that is speaking.
Nudges (aka that still, small voice)
This might sound quite subjective, but learn to listen to little nudges. Remember the account of Elijah and the still, small voice? I find that God speaks more to me this way than in grander ways. That still, small voice (or nudge) is no small thing in outcome. In fact, if we doubt when God speaks softly or nudges gently, we may never hear anything louder or stronger.
1 Kings 19:11-13, New King James Version
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The Word of God
Reading our Bible regularly and meditating on it changes our life even when we don’t realize it. We learn “line upon line and precept upon precept” over a period of time.
It’s something like a child eating every day for a year. Parents might not notice on a daily basis what that food is accomplishing, but from one birthday to another, they definitely see the difference!
Over the course of time, as the Word of God is absorbed into our minds and hearts, its truths simply manifest when we face decisions. It’s an outcome that occurs effortlessly!
In addition, when we need to hear from God about a particular issue, we delve into the Word intentionally looking for answers on that subject. It’s our Great Textbook.
If you don’t have a Bible, or if you are due for a new one, they are available here.
Prayer
How better to learn the will of God than by communication back and forth with him. If communication breakdown is one of the biggest causes of marital problems, it will be the same for your most important relationship – your relationship with your heavenly Father.
How do you communicate with your friend, family member or spouse? I would guess it’s natural, not stilted. You don’t follow a formula. Try spending time with the Lord like you do with others. Let it flow naturally.
You value and appreciate your friend or spouse. Value and appreciate your God. You discuss the happenings of your day. Talk things over with God. You ask for things and give things. Ask of God and give to him. You sit quietly and say nothing, but love and contentment are present and fill the atmosphere. Sit quietly with God.
Very importantly, just be together with the Lord! He will unfold what you need to know and do concerning your calling.
It just keeps popping up!
I once heard a teaching about destiny. Something from that teaching stayed with me. The illustration was that of a beach ball. No matter how many times or how deep you push a beach ball under the water, it will pop back up again.
Do you have something in your life that keeps popping up, even over the span of years or decades? Perhaps with long periods of silence or absence between the times when that desire or aspiration pops up? Or maybe with times of trying and giving up?
Take it to God and ask him what he might be saying to you!
So much more could be said. But this is a start!
Tackling Something New? Don’t Hide From It!
You might be wondering if God really is speaking to you, and I trust this article helped you. Come back to my blog for the other three areas we’ll be discussing:
- Am I willing to face the hard work? Part 2
- What about failure and rejection? Part 3
- Can I handle success? Part 4
If God is asking you to do something new, listen! Remember, you can do anything God leads you to do!
Let me know what your nudge or new project is and how you are overcoming the barriers to getting started or following through!
