The big day is coming! I hear a gentle voice whisper, “I will lead you.”
It probably didn’t take you long to guess, right? My big day is the arrival of Olivia & Me! If you were here, you would see me vacillating between dancing around the room and chewing on fingernails.
I must admit the present excitement has not always been my attitude. Writing a book can be quite a journey!
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them and
make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:16
This has been one of my guiding verses through the processes of writing, illustrating, publishing and now marketing. Count them! Five times God says, “I will!” I am the blind; He is the “I will”.
Unfamiliar Paths
Talk about “unfamiliar paths”; every one of these processes has been a new and fearful element of a journey I never asked to take and never anticipated going.
Mine, it turns out, is an adventure of joy! This pathway
exposed deep insecurities,
revealed hidden fears,
broke my heart on many occasions,
changed the entire course of my life
and has been a refiner’s fire of cleansing and healing
that I didn’t even know I needed.
Giving Birth
Five times in the natural I experienced both the pain and the joy of giving birth. (Hum! Five “I will”s and five births!)
“A woman giving birth to a child has pain
because her time has come;
but when her baby is born
she forgets the anguish because of her joy
that a child is born into the world.”
John 16:21
Birthing brings unavoidable pain; a pain that seems impossibly more than one can endure. It is the temporary transition to joy. Joy is the treasure of holding what has been carried, nurtured and laboured for.
God is Into Birthing
Just in case you male readers are getting a little squeamish with all this feminine birthing stuff, relax, God is into birthing! He is birthing forth amazing things in the lives of His children, both corporate and individual.
I see new gifting springing up in the lives of the younger people I mentor and meet. Like ‘Olivia & Me‘ it has been surprising and sometimes scary for them as well.
God has many spiritual gifts for us. These may show up immediately, be connected with natural abilities, or they may “suddenly” be birthed in us for the good of others. Ephesians 4:12 reads,
“…to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up…”
“I Will Lead You” Jesus Says
We cannot be “big headed” about a gift! A gift is received unmerited! The Giver does ask that we develop and use those gifts wisely for the encouragement and benefit of others.
Like any true gift, it is ours! If we choose to misuse or neglect it, it is still ours! However, there will be an accounting before the Giver of how we used them. (Luke 19)
Admittedly it can be scary stepping into places you have never been before. Remember God is always the I WILL… He is the “I WILL never leave you nor forsake you”.
He says, “I WILL be
down on the ground beside you while you crawl
the hand lifting you up along the precipice
the ONE at the finish line cheering the loudest
the gentle arm of encouragement
the whatever you need in the moment
…I WILL
You aren’t alone! The I WILL is with you every step of the way. I have experienced Him in new dimensions and on multiple occasions in my painful birthing processes – ways I would never have known Him before.
With a quiet joy I both look back and ahead, confident not in me, but in the “I WILL” who is with this blind child…..always leading…always holding…
Your Promise
Thank you Lord that every promise
You give is an assurance of your presence
with us and for us.
Thank you that we NEVER walk alone!
I am grateful for both the
pains and joys of living,
as well as all you teach me along the way.
__________
Further Reading:
Nothing is Impossible – With God Your Problem is God’s Opportunity!
Olivia & Me – Helping Children Live Emotionally Healthy Through Tragedy