“I don’t want to do it anymore,” I said, looking across the table at my friend. She’s the kind of friend you find once or twice in your lifetime. Together we’ve grieved the loss of parents and celebrated new beginnings. We’ve worshiped, prayed, and told countless stories. She challenges me, encourages me, and gives me hope when I can’t find it. On this day, I was contemplating my path for existence and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. You know, the easy stuff. But when it came to the topic of my job, I realized I was empty.
“I don’t want to do it anymore” I declared.
Her all-knowing eyes looked past my words, and she asked, “Then why don’t you quit?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid to quit” I confessed. That realization emerged holding a series of unanswered questions.
For over twenty years, I’ve walked with God. Not sprinted but walked. At times in my life, it was more of a crawl, if I’m being honest. But in these past two decades, I’ve learned He calls us to be obedient. He calls us to walk by faith, even when we cannot see the path. (2 Corinthians 5:7).
My declaration of fear opened hidden places in my heart. It revealed the truth that my best life is not found in what I do, but more so in my obedience and surrender.
I ask myself seven questions when I look to make margin in my life:
- What am I holding?
- Is it for kingdom work?
- What do I need to lay down?
- What is God calling me to carry?
- Am I emotionally, spiritually, financially and physically prepared to carry it?
- Do I have the margin to carry it?
- What am I afraid of?
When God calls us to lay something down, we trust He will replenish it with something new. It doesn’t mean our replacement will be nicer, fuller, cleaner or make us happier. It could be quite the contrary. When God calls us to lay something down, it is scary. It is audacious. We are uncomfortable and insecure.
Twice in my life, God called me to something, and I didn’t listen. I didn’t know I had a small window in which to obey. The gentle nudge to call a loved one or send a small gift in the mail. I ignored it. In an unexpected moment, I lost those I loved. I ignored the promptings and robbed myself of giving and receiving joy.
I’ve learned that God is not in the earthquake nor the fire. He is in the whisper. (2 Kings 19:12). That is the good stuff! That is where faith and joy collide. God will not continue to layer life upon us. His character and his Word confess that He will be our strength in times of struggle. “Take my yoke upon you – mine is light” (Matthew 11:29). It’s our choice to lay down those things which we are no longer meant to carry. When we are brave enough to lay them down, then we posture ourselves to receive abundant blessings.
In my life, I’ve seen God move many mountains. God entered the depths of my most painful and darkest moments to show me a light hidden inside: His light. But I had to accept His call to open up those dark places and allow Him to inspect them. I first had to lay everything at His feet. It was here that I found abiding love.
Today, if you struggle to find clarity for your best life, answer one question. What are you holding that you no longer need to carry? Start today by laying it down. Sit it at the feet of Jesus and, through His wisdom, you can find clarity to begin making small spaces for God to move. It’s OK if you’re afraid. So am I. But that doesn’t stop us from moving forward into all that God calls us to.
Let’s do it together, my friend because tomorrow begins today!
All my love,
Danita