Free to Be Me by Trusting Him
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday. ~ Psalm 37:3-6 (ESV – emphasis mine)
At the beginning of the year I shared with your my focus word of 2015 – “surrender”. And honestly, it has been a great word so far. I know we are only 22 days into 2015, but let me tell you: I am amazed about the things the Lord has put in front of me. Let’s just say – I am “pumped” – girlfriends!
One of the first things I did at the beginning of this year is to unsubscribe from a lot of (good) emails I was getting. I wanted to clear my schedule for purposeful time with God. Couple of days ago I completed a 21-day-plan through YouVersion, called “21 Days of Powerful Breakthrough”. This plan was just written for me – I think. The encouragement that I received through this plan is unmatched to-date. Actually it was the first plan ever I was eager to open up each morning. Currently I am reading through a 7-day plan, but I don’t know if it will have the same impact.
Regarding my photography? Well, I have stepped out of the comfort zone and into the great-big-wide world. I have submitted 5 photographs to an international competition, posted photos on a photography forum, wrote a review about a break-out photography course (which was published by the photographer on Tuesday on her website). Now I am waiting to see if I will be accepted as a hostess for a photography workshop. Yes, all this in just 22 days; I can’t believe it myself.
I also have joined my friend Tiffany Stuart (a former contributor to Laced with Grace) to just step out and do what we love doing. Nothing held back. Being creative! If you are interested in joining us to let your creativity flow, please stop by her website “A More Creative You”.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” ~ C.S. Lewis
Do I still have doubts? Actually no – I feel free to be me (I think that was a song a couple years ago). Am I scared? I still hyperventilate and shaking in my boots. Will I still fail at times? No doubt about that! But I trust the One Who holds my life in His capable hands. And that, my friends, is incredibly comforting.
Lord of mercy and grace. Thank You for leading me. Thank You for giving me strength to be bold and move forward. I want to serve You alone and bring glory to You. I am trusting that You continue to give me the courage that I need. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen!
Photo & Content Copyright © Iris Nelson
