Step up to the Plate

Today, I went to play kickball. That sounds like a pretty normal statement, right? Well, if you knew me, you would realize that deserves a round of applause. I’m not even joking. When I started this year out, I told myself that I would take more risks, I would do things that scared me, even if it was something as minute as playing kickball.

Today, my pastor talked about turning the pages in our lives and starting new seasons. Recently, I sat down to reflect on my life and where I was. I found myself dissatisfied. I had become content and down right bored with my life. I began to ask God what was next. I’d literally just got done praying that prayer when my coworker invited to me to come play kickball. My initial thoughts were, “this is random. Why is this random thing presenting itself?” Then as I began to think some more, I realized that this was an opportunity to be stretched. And no, not the stretching you do before exercise, but the stretching that God does when he wants you to grow. The stretching that allows more room for God to fill and overflow out of you.

To be honest, I sometimes get too comfortable in life.  I get to a point where nothing challenges me. Over the years, I have come to learn that I actually like a challenge. This one, although it seemed small, was actually big. When I first got the invitation, I immediately knew I was going to say no. First off, it was going to take me out of my comfort zone. I am so used to doing things well, so when I heard kickball, the answer was no because I usually suck at anything relating to sports. But something inside of me wouldn’t allow me to send that no. I even waited a while to see if something else would come up. Guess what, other things came up, but I knew God was giving me a choice, a way out. Step out of my comfort zone and face my fears and inadequacies or run back to what I knew and was sure of. I had just asked God for newness and here I was, afraid to do anything that I wasn’t comfortable with.

Isn’t that how God is though? How can you know God’s power if everything you do is based off your own strength? God was teaching me something in a situation as small as this. The challenge was on. At that moment, I knew I had to say yes to kickball. I didn’t want to think negative thoughts about the game, but I also didn’t have the best track record in sports. Lol. So, as I made my way to the game, I was sick to my stomach. I was about to make a fool of myself in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know. When I got there, I began to meet the team. They made me feel right at home. That made me feel even worse, because I was about to let them down. They reassured me that it was all good. We began to practice, and I began to feel a little more relaxed. The game started and finally, I was up to kick. This was it. The ball rolled , I kicked it and yep….it went right into someone’s hands. Not just once, but EVERY LAST TIME I KICKED THE BALL. I was so embarrassed. The team didn’t let me stay in that place though. As a matter of fact, they kept encouraging me to keep going. Each time, I would have to face my inadequacies, but each time, I was empowered because I was trying. I was putting myself out there. I was willing to fail, just to know I tried. The game finally came to an end. We won! Not because of anything I did, but I had learned so much through a simple game of kickball.

So, the experience was liberating. Here is what stood out. God will call us to do something that will point out all of our inadequacies, but we have to be willing to step out on faith and accept that his grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians-“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.

We can’t determine what we will do based on if it’s in our power to do it. We must be willing to take risks and even fail. God wants us to trust him. Just because you’ve failed once doesn’t mean you should quit. Keep going. The impossible will become possible because of his spirit within you.

What is it that you need to step out on faith for? What are you needing to trust God for? What is God telling you to pick back up again, even though it failed the first time? Think about these questions these week and answer them honestly.

Happy Monday! Do something that gets you out of your box this week and watch yourself be freed!