There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, “What if I fall?”
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly? – Erin Hanson
This saying will always have a special place in my heart. At a time when I didn’t have enough confidence or faith, and I wrestled with doubt and fear, God used this quote to remind me to walk by faith and to trust His plans for my life.
He also used people to speak words of encouragement and truth that spoke powerfully to my feeble, unbelieving mind. These are the people of influence in my life. They helped me believe in myself.
We need cheerleaders in our life. These are the men and women God strategically plants in your pathway to help you get through life’s most challenging times.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ~Philippians 4:13
On May 10th of this year, I took a step of faith and started a job. The reasons it was so frightening for me to start working is because I haven’t worked in 20 something years. More than that, I didn’t believe I could work since I have had so many challenges with my health. Living with chronic pain and fatigue is not conducive to having a job.
However in March, I began to look for a job. At the same time, anxiety kicked in. I had so many negative thoughts to fight off. Thoughts like, “No one is going to hire you, you haven’t worked in so long.”
“Mom, you have so much to offer. People would love to have someone as pleasant and hard working as you around” my children would say to me.
“I’m not going to be able to do this, my body hurts too much and I can’t get going early in the morning” that inner voice repeated over and over again.
“Oh, we all have aches, pains and fatigue at our age. I struggle with that every day. God will help you get through” said various friends and family members.
Slowly, day by day, I started listening to their words, and speaking positive, God honoring words to myself. Words that others in my life were speaking into me.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. ~Psalm 28:7
And then God did a miracle. He opened the door for me to a job that couldn’t be more perfect for me. It’s much more than a job. Its a ministry where I can serve God as well as use my passion for the broken. He worked out every detail for me, including an understanding supervisor that has allowed me a start time that is manageable for me to get to work.
Today, I am so grateful that I chose to not only take Jesus’ hand, but also to resist the lies of the enemy and listen to the voices of loved ones in my life. These simple choices helped me to move in a direction that felt overwhelming to me. God is continually showing me the importance of allowing people I trust to influence my thoughts. He has shown me that I can believe in Him – a God that strengthens, equips and encourages, every step of our journey.
Jesus, friends and family affirmed and cheered me on to believe – in the power of Christ in me, and therefore, believe in myself. What freedom there is in facing our fears! And what joy to step on our self doubts. I don’t believe I could have taken the steps towards working again, if it wasn’t for the people in my life repeatedly telling me “You can do this!” and “The Lord will help you!”
It’s critical to surround yourself with people that will remind you of who you are and speak God’s truth to you.
I love what Bob Goff says; “We’ll become in our lives whoever the people we love the most say we are.” (Everybody Always).
We need cheerleaders in our lives, friends and family that love us and will remind us of who we are and who God is. People that will “push” us out of our comfortable nest, knowing that we will fly. I thank God for the many He has put in my life that did this for me recently. I’m not only flying, but I’m soaring to heights I couldn’t have imagined. I also hope to be a cheerleader for others. It’s life altering.
Whatever challenge you may be facing, or fears you may be avoiding, I encourage you to share them with your loved ones, and choose to listen to their encouragement. May you believe in their words of truth, in the power of Christ, and may you believe in yourself. As you do so, allow yourself to fly with Jesus to places you could have never envisioned for yourself.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10
Well said. I do have to correct you though. You may. have not worked outside the home for over 20 years, but you worked tirelessly inside our home raising our children. Thank you for that and your encouraging blogs!
What a great reminder for all of us to not only trust in the Lord’s encouragement and receive the cheerleading of others in our lives, but to cheer on others in our lives who need it. So happy for you that God provided a job for you where you can thrive! He is SOOOO good!