Putting Your Toes In The Water

I frequently have people ask me, "How can I tell what is the right thing to do when I have so many different options?" There are many answers to this, but one of the things I always encourage my workshop participants to do is to do something. It's easier to redirect a moving object than one that is sitting still! So, you should listen to what God is saying, evaluate your options, and generally, you should act! Chances are you will be on track, but even if you are slightly off course, I take great comfort in knowing that my God is big enough and strong enough to keep me from getting entangled in something that is not from Him. He opens doors of opportunity and He also shuts doors of opportunity, and a wise person will be sensitive to whether a door is truly open or closed.

I've been living this principle lately. I have had some opportunities come my way that are directly related to my calling and passions in life. However, there were some definite roadblocks - things that would need the definite intervention of God to remove. Well, my God is in the business of definite intervention. I wasn't totally sure whether or not I should walk through these doors of opportunity, so I decided to 'put my toes in the water' and see what would happen.

For those of you that are not familiar with the water reference, it comes from the Bible. When the Jews had left Egypt, spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, and were finally ready to cross the Jordan River and go into the Promised Land, they needed supernatural help to get their millions of people across the river. God told them to pack up, send the priests ahead, and He would make a way. He did, too - but not until the priests were actually wading into the river and their feet were in the water! They had to start out trusting Him to take care of it - and then He rolled the Jordan River back and made a dry ford all the way across. The water stayed back until all the people got across!

Sometimes when making an important decision, we need to gather all the facts and do a little investigating and probing to see if doors of opportunity are truly open for us. So that's what I've been doing. I've probed and found two opportunities that, although they look great, do not appear to be right for me at this time as the dramatic barriers have not moved. I'm ok with that, though - I've been praying for God to protect me from entering into anything that is not His plan for me, and to help me enter into everything that is His plan for me!

Sometimes life isn't black and white; sometimes it's more fluid. Sometimes you have to "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7) Sometimes the door that opens is not the same one you thought would open in the beginning, but God will always bring you into His plan for your life if you will ask Him!

Here's to asking, seeking and finding!
Jamie