Training Wheels.

As strange as it might sound, sometimes God asks me to write because He wants to put a message in my hands as I do. He wants to actually write with me. It stretches my faith every time. These first few sentences are the scariest part. Especially when I go into it not knowing exactly what I want to say (this blog is one of those btw). Simply beginning trips me up more than anything else most times because I start doubting my ability to discern His voice. I usually start out with a simple prayer, “Help, God. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Can you relate? How many things in your life has God asked you to do that you’ve second guessed, or how about even hobbies or activities that you’ve had a desire for, but you’ve never taken the first step because a fear of incompetency or doubt has kept you frozen stiff on the running block?

Sometimes we need a gentle push, a kind word of encouragement from a friend or sometimes we may even need a straight up motivational YouTube video narrated by Morgan Freeman to get us to take that first, brave leap towards our destiny.

And then there are other times, when we’ve been standing on the edge of that diving board for far too long, we’ve heard so many words of encouragement echoing in the air, we’ve had a million “confirmations” and half the pool is cheering us on by this point (including the line behind us waiting for their turn to jump). What we really need in those moments aren’t more confirmations, what we need most is for the impatient kid behind us to climb up there and give us a rude, but necessary PUSH!

My point is this:

We can’t let fear stall us out for too long.

And yet, sometimes we do.

I can remember so many times as a kid when I was learning to ride my bike, that I would get overwhelmed by trying to move the peddles with my tiny feet. I would choke back tears, let out a weak, “I can’t do it, dad,” and ask him to get me off of my bike. “I can’t” was considered a cuss word in our home, by the way. He would tell me to tighten my grip (remember those pretty pink handle bars with the 90’s glitter tassles sticking out of the sides, complete with the cute little flower basket?) and then begin to gently push me past my limits, reassuring me that he’d be holding the back of the seat the whole time.

“Oh, yes you cannnnn!”

With a big push, my wobbly bike, complete with training wheels, would make it all the way to the edge of the block before I’d realize that my dad had taken his hands off of the seat of the bike. I'd come to a hault and look over my shoulder to see him halfway down the block, with his hands in his pockets and a proud grin on his face.

“Dad! You said you wouldn't let go!”

I used to get so mad at him for that, but he knew exactly what he was doing. He was intentionally guiding me beyond my fears. He also had the wisdom to know what would happen if he never let go of that bike. He loved me enough to not let me develop a life-long phobia of riding bikes, or worse, develop a faulty belief system about my potential or chronic low self-esteem.

I’ve come to realize that when the Bible says that God is a good Father, that means that He parents us in much of the same way. There is no such thing as being abandoned by God, and yet sometimes it's easy for us to feel like He is “hands off” in our lives.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. -Isaiah 41:10

God’s perfect love pushes us past our fears. He gives us opportunities that will challenge us because He loves us enough to help us conquer fear. He won't always hold our hand every step of the way, because He knows what’s best for us, but He truly never leaves us (Hebrews 13:5).

1 John 4:18 says that God intentionally casts out all of our fear through His love. Like a good dad, God is always close by and committed to encouraging us through the growth process when we are courageous enough to take the first step, regardless of the outcome. My dad never punished me for being afraid or falling off my bike when I did, he simply loved me through the process by encouraging me to keep going.

So what steps in your life are you procrastinating taking right now? We will never grow until be become brave enough to mount that bike, climb that latter, apply for that job, join that gym, lead that small group at church…you get the point.

We as humans are notorious for not moving forward with our dreams when we allow the ‘I can’t’ narrative to write our stories for us, or more commonly the ‘I can’t right now’ narrative. We somehow seem to think that we are in it alone. We forget that God is right there with us, ‘upholding us with His righteous right hand.’ Believe me when I say that God actually believes in you and wants to empower you to walk boldly into all that He has for you. Or at least believe what the Bible has to say about it.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. -Romans 8:11

By dying for our sins on the cross, Jesus granted us access to the power of His Holy Spirit who can now live within us. Do you ever meditate on that as a believer? You should. It’s a game-changer. The famous motivational speaker and legend, Les Brown, puts it another way, "You have greatness within you." When we are reliant on our own abilities and forget the ever-present, nearness of our Heavenly Father, we will never go or do all that we are intended too! Much like children who miss vital developmental experiences, like learning to ride a bike or swim, due to a lack of guidance, we can miss all that God has for us when we believe the lie that we are all alone.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9

Remember when I started this blog out by saying that sometimes God wants to speak through my writing even when I don’t know what to say? I’ll be vulnerable with you; I needed this blog today just as much as many of you. God is so faithful to remind us of His Word when we forget, or when we let our fear overcome our thinking. That’s been me this week and this blog is proof of God’s faithfulness in Fathering me, encouraging me and giving me the strength to take another faith step towards all that He has for me. In the same way that He wanted to remind ME of all these things today, He also wants to remind you. So I will leave you with a simple question:

Which Bible verses do you meditate on when you feel uncertain or feel afraid to take the next step in your life? I’d encourage you to go back through this blog and pick one of the many verses in this post to memorize this week. As you reread these verses, picture yourself as a kid riding a bike with Jesus behind you cheering you on. Don’t let fear of failure limit you this week. Keep on keeping on my friends!

Thanks for reading! I have been so encouraged by this and I hope that you are too!

Check out my book, Knowing I Am: A Study On The I Am Statements of God for more encouragement, reflective prompts and tools to grow in your faith.