It’s incredibly easy to stay where it’s safe. As humans we crave to not only be safe but also to be in control. We make routines and schedules, we create habits and rituals; all in an effort to comfort ourselves. Our natural instincts tell us to do what we can to make ourselves feel protected and comfortable in our lives. There are how-to books on it and websites overflowing with advice for how we can achieve the highest level of security in our lives. But is that all there is? Going through life, making sure that we only surround ourselves with people and possessions that make us feel satisfied and in control of our own lives.
Personally I don’t think so. I think that somewhere along the way we lost sight of the fact that in order for us to grow, we must move. We must step out and challenge ourselves in ways that we never thought of before; or more specifically in ways that we never wanted to think of before. We’ve been so wired for comfort and control that the mere thought of taking even a tiny risk scares us to our very core. So it’s no wonder that society has become more enamored with the idea of taking risks than actually taking them.
The internet is full of quotes and images that tell us to go out and “chase our dreams, take the chances, face our fears”. And if you’re like me, you look at those pictures and feel really empowered and ready to take on the world…that is until you close your laptop and the real world comes back into focus. It becomes a lot harder to take those risks without the inspirational quotes of Pinterest resting right before your eyes.
Yet somewhere in between wanting to stay where it’s safe and feeling mildly inspired by Pinterest quotes, I’ve decided to take the risk. I’ve decided to go and volunteer abroad in a country where I don’t know the language, I don’t know how to get around, and I don’t know how it’ll all turn out, or what I’ll be doing when I get back. The questions seem to outnumber the answers, and yet I’m going against all logic that says to stay in the job that I love, where it’s comfortable and I know what I’m doing; and to not take the leap into the unknown.
However I am going to take the leap of faith, not knowing where I’ll land. But the great thing is that even in all of the uncertainty I don’t have to be afraid or scared. I can go ahead and take the risk because I know that I’m held safe in the Father’s hands. That God can see how it all turns out and that he only ever wants the best for me. So in this leap of faith, in this season of change and chance taking, I can rest knowing that it will all turn out beautifully according to Gods will.
I can face the great unknown that spans before me and jump into it knowing that while I don’t know the exact outcome, I do know that it will be better than anything that I could have imagined. I will answer the quite voice inside of me that is asking, “Will you trust and jump?” with a whispered battle cry, “Yes! Yes I will!”
Simply Katherina 