My hands are clammy. My stomach keeps dropping.

Why?

Because I have to send an email.

I’ve been needing to send this email for awhile, but every time I prepare to do it, my body tenses up and I get, to put it simply, freaked out.

I am getting more “out of my league” as I would describe it when it comes to website design. Perhaps a better way to explain it would be “out of my comfort zone.”

I like routine. I like familiarity. I like comfort. I like safety. I don’t like being scared, nervous, or on edge. I avoid situations where I feel this way and seek to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Don’t we all?

But this email. This silly thing! It’s not the email itself that makes me worried, but the reaction or conversation that will follow.

What will they think? Will they like the direction we are going? Will they see right through me? Will they think I don’t know what I am talking about?

Insecurity flows, keeping me from performing the task at hand.

It can keep me there. Stuck. Unable to grow and move forward.

It’s just an email.

It’s just an email. But it symbolizes the personal growth I am pursuing, and the vocational direction I am going.

Over the summer we helped our kids learn how to ride a bike. They are still in the training wheel phase, but bike riding is so unfamiliar to them that they were scared even though protective measures had been taken to ensure their safety. Of course there’s still risk - they could indeed fall over if they turned too quickly or lost their balance. The only way to get better, to make peace with the fear, was to ride often and practice.

I was surprised that their hesitancy was usually what led to a fall. Instead of riding quickly and confidently over a section of uneven sidewalk, they faltered, slowed down and tipped over.

I often found myself shouting phrases like, “Just ride! Go quickly! Pedal, pedal, pedal! The more you do it the better you will get at it!”

Woah.

The more you do it, the better you will get? The thing that’s scary can become… familiar, simple, and routine? Perhaps even… fun?

Don’t you love when little life lessons pop up for your own growth when helping your children? Parenting is lovely for many reasons, but that reason is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They are such wonderful teachers.

Do the thing that scares you, because if you don’t, it will always be scary. If you practice, it will become routine. It can even become… fun. 🙂

Living in His Light

I always want to bring everything I share back to the gospel to encourage myself and others to live out the light of Christ in all we do. Sometimes I will share a quick thought and include a going further section below with a scripture or recommended resource pertaining to the blog’s topic. I don’t have much extra to share today, but I do feel like a fitting scripture could be:

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Paul shared these words to show his contentment in all circumstances; whether he had much or little, he could endure it through the strength of Christ. I think a principle that can be drawn is that whatever task you have, whatever you need to do, no matter how difficult, you can do it in Christ, strengthened by his spirit.

Do what you need to with confidence.

What are you putting off today?

— Reconciling with a friend or family member
— Decluttering that pesky closet
— Taking the first step in starting the business
— The difficult conversation to enforce your boundaries
— Making your first budget and financial plan
— Confessing sins and receiving forgiveness
— Sending an email that scares you
— Discovering the next step in your spiritual growth

Do whatever it is knowing that if you are in Christ, his light is within you. He gives strength that is not your own. He helps. He guides. He designed you to not only be able to tackle that hard thing, but for that hard thing to become a little bit easier with practice.

Do something that scares you. Do something you’ve been putting off.

And now, I must sign off to go send that email.

Until the next time!

Thanks for reading. Talk soon. — Sarah ☕️