What has you sidelined right now?  I don’t mean the fact that COVID-19 has you in a place where you can’t go to the ball fields, the gym, or the local recreation center at the moment.

No, I’m referring to something much deeper and more eternal than that.  What is God stirring in you right now that you’ve justified saying no to?

I was enjoying coffee with a good friend of mine several days ago (from 6-feet away, of course) and she was sharing her heart with me about wanting to be baptized.  She was so excited about this spiritual next step that God was stirring in her until some doubts crept in and began to fog the clarity.  Doubts that she wasn’t mature enough in Christ yet; doubts that she didn’t act enough like Christ yet; doubts that she wasn’t living as perfectly as Christ yet.

Sound familiar? 

So many of us seem to get hung up on the idea that we need to be more spiritually mature before we take our next step instead of understanding that taking the next step is what will help us become more spiritually mature.  (Go ahead…read that again.)

“We often forget that the people Jesus chose to form the leadership of His church were neither spiritually nor emotionally mature.

Peter, the point leader, had a big problem with his mouth…James and John were called “sons of thunder” because they were aggressive, hotheaded, ambitious, and intolerant.  Philip was skeptical and negative…Thomas was melancholy, mildly depressive, and pessimistic…” (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day by Peter Scazzero)

That’s just a quick snapshot of a few of the 12 disciples that Jesus chose and, like us, they had much to learn. 

But, Jesus didn’t invite them to follow Him with the expectation that they’d already know everything and be completely mature.  No, He invited them to follow Him so they could learn from Him and grow and develop in their emotional and spiritual maturity along the way – with each step.

Once we choose to follow Christ, the growing and learning process continues for the rest of our lives.  “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6)

What next step is God prompting you to take?  Whatever it is, don’t let doubts sideline you.  Know that He will continue to perfect the work He has started in you AS you take that next step!

Until next time, Grace and Glory!