"The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can't supply is proof that Heaven must be our home." ~C.S. Lewis
One of my greatest hopes for this adventure is to be able to encourage others to step out of their comfort zones, pursue their dreams, and leap into the arms of their Papa.
As I write that, I get a picture of a child standing at the edge of a swimming pool as their father stands in front of them, arms stretched out, encouraging them to trust him and jump into his arms. At some point in our lives, we are all that child standing at the edge. Some of us leap quickly with little hesitation, some ponder it for awhile and then leap. Some of us walk away only to turn back and leap. Then there are some who simply walk away, not willing to trust their Papa will catch them.
I want to encourge you to close your eyes and plug your nose, if you must, then LEAP!.
You won’t regret it.
It could probably be said I was one of those who let fear take over. I walked away from my Papa’s arms not willing to trust Him, but then curiousity got the best of me. I began to wonder what just might happen if I did jump. I began to turn back towards those arms, slowly returning until I was once again standing in front of those out stretched arms. After much contemplation, I lept into them.
I certainly haven’t regretted it either!
Oh it has been scary there is no doubt about that. There have been moments my Papa has been teaching me to experience that pool by learning to swim, trusting all along He wouldn’t let me drown. Through that I am experiencing new areas of that pool and learning just how much joy there is in swimming alongside my Father. It is in that pool that I have found more deeply where I belong.
Maybe that analogy makes sense to you, maybe not. I would love to encourage you either way to take that step out of your comfort zone to purse the dreams God has placed in you. You have them, we all do. Satan will try and tell you they aren’t there. Sometimes it takes some searching to find them, but oh trust me you have them.
When you do find them, Satan will try and make you believe every lie he possibly can to keep you from pursuing those dreams. I was told lie after lie to prevent me from getting here. He still tells me lies every day. I’ve overcome intense challenges to get here and you will to when you pursue your dreams.
It is SO worth it, though.
When you fight those fears, step out of your comfort zone, and pursue those dreams you begin to experience your Papa’s love in whole new ways. You begin to catch glimpses of the place we are all being called home to: Heaven. I’ve seen glimpses of this home in the grace my Papa has showered on me when I’ve failed. It has been shown to me in the community God has blessed me with back at my earthly home, a community that has been praying for me consistently as I am here. It is also in the community I have been welcomed into as family, here in Rwanda. Oh I’ve seen glimpses of that home in the eyes I look into of the children here. It has been revealed to me as the sun rises above the hill directly out my window. I have also seen it in the ways God has set me free of fear.
Those glimpses of Heaven are all around us, but sometimes it takes stepping out of your comfort zone to rediscover them. We get so used to the edges of our comfort zone that we often fail to recognize the beauty all around us which gives us tiny previews of our Forever Home. I would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. It doesn’t have to be traveling to a foreign culture for an extended period of time. It can look so many different ways. If you ask God where He wants you to step out I am sure He will show you.
Take that leap into your Papa’s outstretched arms. No matter how scary it gets you can trust His arms are there to catch you. I promise you wont regret it! You begin to find glimpses of the home your Papa has built for you where sin no longer has any power.
“This is home, now I’m finally where I belong, where I belong, yeah this is home. I’ve been searching for a place of my own, now I’ve found it. Maybe this is home. Yeah this is home. And now after all my searching, after all my questions I’m gonna call it home. I’ve got a brand new mindset. I can finally see the sunset. I’m gonna call it home...I’ve come too far and I won’t go back. Yeah this is home.”
-Switchfoot “This is Home”
