When it comes to certain goals in your life, are you waiting until you’re fully ready to complete them?
If so, I would understand that. I believe that is a very common mentality in our day and age.
Do you want to buy a house? Are you hoping to land your dream career in the next few years? How about starting a family?
Whatever goal you have in mind for your life, are you waiting for all the ducks to be in a row, for things to be lined up before you pull the trigger?
I was thinking about my life this morning, all the things I’ve done, and I realized something. I’ve never been fully ready before jumping into action. You may think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not.
A Few Examples
Let’s take a look at motherhood for example. Now I am actually under the impression that no single person is truly ready to become a parent, no matter how old they are, how many puppies they’ve owned, or books they’ve read.
I know for a matter of fact when I found out I was pregnant right after my 19th birthday, I was not ready to become a mother. Not in the sense of owning a home, having a career established, or even being married for that fact.
However, I knew I was a mother within the 24 hours of finding out that I had life growing inside of me. I was already a mother. I wasn’t ready, but I knew that whatever happened, I would do it with God by my side.
A few years ago I had a thought that perhaps I could write a book. The title immediately came to me but other than that, I had little to go on.
Now I love reading books but as far as education goes, I had no particular qualifications to write a book. I even remember thinking, what if I told someone that I want to write a book? What would they think? They would probably think that I was joking.
I know that when I started the process of outlining, writing, editing, and publishing Love vs. Fear, I wasn’t fully ready for the steps because I had never done them. But I continued to take the next step.
One more quick example is when I got my job at CHVN 95.1 FM. The first time I went on-air to record a show, I wasn’t ready. I had done some practicing, sure, but when you flip on that record button, nothing fully prepares you for it. You simply have to do it before you are fully ready. Fail, learn, and try again.
Stepping Out of the Boat
If you have an exciting idea pop into your head, what is your very next thought? Is it fear and trepidation? Is it doubt and anxiety that there’s no way we can follow through with the goal to the end?
Let me ask you this. Do you think Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, was ready to step out of a perfectly working boat onto raging waves to meet Jesus? There’s no way Peter was ready because it had never been done. Did that stop him? No, it did not. (Check out Matthew 14:22-33 for the full story)
I think it’s true that most if not all amazing feats were accomplished before the person was fully ready to follow through. Think about that.
Do you have a goal in mind for your life right now but you’re afraid to take that next big step that requires faith? First of all, if you are afraid, that’s totally normal. That’s where courage comes in.
Courage is only courage when fear is involved. If you’re not afraid, it doesn’t take any courage to do something.
Second, don’t wait until you think you are fully ready, especially if you believe God has ‘called you out of the boat’ so to speak.
Pray, lean, and then jump into the next step. Will it be perfect the first time you attempt something you haven’t before? I can almost guarantee that it won’t and that a part of you will fail at it. That is simply learning as you go. But allow yourself to learn as you go. Then, continue taking steps forward.
If you don’t believe me, ask someone you look up to who has achieved all the things in life that you want to. Ask them if they were completely ready to take on their goals before they stepped out. I’d love to hear what they have to say.
We are not ready to ride a bike for the first time before we do and the same applies to your big goals today. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Rather, thank the Lord that He’s given you everything you need to complete the task at hand, and then trust that He’ll be with you every step of the way.
The movie We Bought a Zoo is a great example of what I’m trying to talk about. In the film, the main character played by Matt Damon keeps using this one saying over and over that can apply to all of us.
“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.“
So go ahead and step out before you are ready!
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