Let Go and Enjoy Today

Early mornings and Quiet Time has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I like to get up a little earlier than usual, light a candle in the darkness and read my Bible and pray for half an hour each morning. It's easy to underestimate the power of having a daily Quiet Time each morning. My friend told me she never used to do it regularly before she had three kids and she became desperate for God's peace and strength in her life.

My Quiet Time always gives me joy, peace and strength for what lays a head that day. Spending time in God's presence each morning changes my approach and attitude toward everything I will face that day. I go through each day with a different type of awareness, it becomes easier to see the lesson God is teaching me in every blessing and every struggle that I face. Once you know God you quickly realize that there is no such thing as random events, every situation that comes my way can teach me something. Every blessing and every difficulty is an opportunity for me to grow in character and holiness. I'm fully aware that there are a lot of areas in my soul where I still need to grow. That's what life is for, growth.

This morning I was reading Numbers 32 during my Quiet Time. What stood out to me in this passage was how important courage is in life. I could use some more courage in my life. I have a highly sensitive personality which is a gift in many ways. The downside is that my personality also causes me to get easily overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed and fearful in life all I want to do is flee. It takes courage to stay and fight when all I want to do is run away.

Numbers 32 talks about how when God called the Israelites to finally enter their promised land they got fearful and didn’t want to do what God was calling them to do. They were fearful and started to discourage each other which led to everyone choosing to disobey God. Among all the fearful Israelites were two young men who had courage; Caleb and Joshua. Caleb and Joshua were ready to follow God’s plan for their lives wholeheartedly. Fear and discouragement can keep us from so many good things in our lives.

The only way I can do what God calls me to do is if I choose to encourage myself. My courage will quickly run out if I start to discourage myself. The Israelites discouraged each other and quickly everyone became afraid. Courage doesn’t always appear by itself, I must stir it up inside my soul through encouragement. When I end up discouraging myself I usually tell myself lines like these: “This will never work, I know I’m going to fail, I might as well not even try. It’s safer that way. I don’t want to take any risks.” 

Everything changes when I start to fight my fear rather than follow my fear. When I choose to fight against my fear I encourage myself with lines like these: “It makes sense that you are afraid, but don’t let the enemy keep you from your calling in life. You might fail, but God never fails. God will redeem all the mistakes you will end up making during the process. Follow God and He will take care of the rest, His plans for you are good. This won’t work without God, you’re right about that, but with God anything is possible.”

Another fact that encourages me to follow God’s call on my life is knowing that there is no other way. The Israelites choice wasn’t between doing life their own way or doing life God’s way. God was the one in charge, and sooner or later they would have to bow to His leadership. The choice that the Israelites had was between obeying God or disobeying and walking in the wilderness for the rest of their lives. That might sound like very few choices, but it’s often what’s needed for us to finally make the right decision in life.

When there’s something in my life that I don’t want to do I usually try all other options first, before I finally decide to do the right thing. Obedience isn’t comfortable, which is why it makes sense that we often avoid it. When I was 17-years old my parents told me I needed to go to driving school. I didn’t want to do it and told them I didn’t really need a driver’s license that much. My parents told me I didn’t have that choice, I was going to driving school whether I liked the idea or not. Driving school was very uncomfortable, scary and at times overwhelming for me but I did it! Today I have my driver’s license and I know that unless my Mom&Dad had done their job as parents I would not have my license today. We don’t always like what our parents tell us to do but loving parents have the child’s best interest at heart. I’m so grateful for everything my wonderful parents have taught me about life, their love is what made me who I am today.

I will not always like what God calls me to do in life, but I can trust that he has my best interest at heart. Young kids can never understand why their parents want them to do certain things, but there is always a reason. Sometimes we have to wait until we are older to understand why our loving parents did what they did. I find that it’s the same way with God. I won’t always understand why God says “No” to certain things I want and “Yes” to other things that I don’t want, but there is always a reason. 

Seven years ago I was passionate about finding a job in Vancouver but God kept saying “No”. I was very frustrated with all the doors that God kept closing in front of me. God gave me a job in Toronto instead and one month after I arrived in Toronto I met the love of my life. I won’t always understand what God is up to in my life, but I can trust that He is working in all things for my good. God’s plan is always better than my plans. It’s freeing to let go and trust God. The more I get to know God, the easier it becomes to trust Him. The more I trust Him, the less I worry. I can let go and enjoy today, because I know that God holds my tomorrow.