“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
Recently another friend of my launched a business (Yes, I said another. I surround myself with greatness :-D). And as she expressed her concerns to me about embarking on this new venture I was reminded of the emotions that arouse in me when I first started my own business, and even when I started the journey of writing this blog. Excitement, Fear, Insecurity, Happiness, Stress, and Nervousness. All of this start coming into technicolor definition when we start facing the unknown, especially Nervousness. Because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring we get scared of the unknown and nerves start causing us to do things we probably shouldn’t. We second guess the decisions we made, let the opinions of others get the best of us, and we doubt that we’re walking in our purpose. Sometimes we stop moving altogether because at the very least we know that doing nothing means nothing can go wrong.
What if I told you that there’s often more harm in standing still than moving forward? Think about it. If a bus is coming down the street unable to stop, are you better off getting out the way or standing still because you don’t know if the bus will swerve or not? If there’s a rock on your foot is it better to roll it off or keep it there? Now don’t get me wrong, there are dangers in moving things that shouldn’t be moved. And when it’s time to be still, that’s absolutely the best choice. But we aren’t always choosing to stand still because we know we’ll be better for it. Sometimes we stand still because we’re too Nervous to make the first move.
Let’s be clear. Being Nervous is completely normal. I’m a firm believer that Nervousness is an emotion designed to help us be careful with the choices we make. It causes us to think twice before making rash decisions and protects us from harm. But when we give it too much power, we lose out on stepping into our purpose and becoming who we were destined to be. And that’s not healthy. So how to we stay healthy, using our Nerves to be cautious, but also keeping them in check so they don’t overpower us? The Bible says “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” (Jeremiah 17:7) Simply put, putting our trust in God means not having to be in charge of the final outcome. You see, God is the author and illustrator of our lives. Yes he gives us co-writer authority and lets us make the choices about the pace of things, but the overall story is written by Him, as He knows how it all turns out. The scripture continues to say “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8) What’s this mean? It means take a chance! If you’re being instructed not to be careful in the year of drought (which 2020 has totally turned into for many) but you’ll never cease from yielding fruit that’s God’s way of telling you that if He brought you to it, He’ll bring you through it.
So I’ll tell you the same thing I told my friend, never be too Nervous to plant the seed. God wouldn’t bring you here to watch you fail. And all the “signs” being brought to your eye do not require your immediate attention. Every person with advice doesn’t know what you know or what you’re supposed to be doing. But God knows, and He’s going to bring you to the harvest He promised. I’ve got my baskets and plow ready, how about you?
EMBRACING EMOTION: THE BLOG 