Ever feel like there are one million and one things running through your mind, and you need to figure them all out right now? Haha I’ve heard it said that a woman’s brain is like having 5,000 web tabs open at once, and some days, I believe it.

This past week, I found myself back wrestling with decisions again – Wanting to know what the right ones were, even if that meant accepting an outcome that was different from the way I expected things to go. And when you’ve finally reached that point, still not being able to figure out the answer can cause some frustration, stress, or however else you handle those situations.

At Bible study Tuesday night, we went through Acts 7. It’s a bit of a longer chapter, but verses 48-50 made me pause:

“However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?’ says the Lord, ‘OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE? WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?’” ‭‭– Acts‬ ‭7:48-50‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

I chuckled a little to myself as I read through those. The same God who made heaven and earth is the same one Who says we can trust Him. That ought to be reason enough to never worry again, right?

Nope! Well, yes, but try telling that to your head.

The next morning I ended up sitting in a waiting room for a few hours (super fun way to spend a Wednesday morning, right?), but after I ran out of work emails to respond to, I opened my Bible app and started reading. Again, there were so many reminders of how faithful God is:

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” – ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” – 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

He is faithful, so, rest. Because you know what? We’re going to need strength when our answer does come.

God knows the dreams He has given you. He sees your obstacles. He knows what it’s going to take to overcome them and He knows exactly how who He made you to be fits the call He has spoken over your life. Trust the process; trust your Creator. He sees steps that are preparing you for what’s to come. Your dream isn’t the stopping point – It’s the beginning of a whole new chapter, and you need to be ready for it in order to be fruitful and truly glorify Him in it.

Now, that might mean your dream is going to look different in reality than it did in your head. That’s ok. Don’t be afraid of change; trust the One who gave you those dreams in the first place.

Maybe that’s easier said than done, though. Maybe you’ve pushed toward making something happen for so long, you’re feeling a little beat up now. And I think, sometimes, you need to get to that point before you’re ready to move forward. Sometimes you need to get to the point where you’re so done with the way things have been, you’re so over the roadblocks people have thrown in front of you, you’re over running the reasons why it could never work through your head, you’re over any fear that has kept you tentatively pushing forward instead of boldly diving in. Sometimes, you need to get to the point where you can say enough is enough, man/woman up, and get moving without fearing what might happen if you’re wrong. Sometimes you need to get to that point where you can pray, “I’ll go anywhere, I’ll do anything, just please lead the way.”

Yesterday, Jesus’ parable of the Good Shepherd gave yet another reminder of how loved and protected we are:

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me…” – John‬ ‭10:10-14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

Steal, kill, destroy. Do those words sound like anything going on in your life right now? What about the rest? What about following the Shepherd who sacrificed His life for you, protects you, and lovingly guides you along the path that is good? That doesn’t mean the path will be easy, but it will be good. He knows you. With Him, you can let your walls fall, let your fears fall, let any inadequacy you see in yourself fall at His feet and let Him show you how much He loves you, how intentionally you have been shaped, and how protected you are through the process.

Rest, Love. You’re going to need strength for what’s ahead. When the time does come to move, don’t be afraid to man/woman up and take the plunge. Let God lead you. This journey’s going to be a good one.

Here’s to the journey!

*And if you’re having one of those spilled-coffee-down-my-clothes-before-work, started-stressing-again kind of days, don’t beat yourself up. (Confession: I had one of those just while editing this.) Refocus, keep moving forward, and enjoy the journey… And maybe try dark clothing for a little bit. It’s pretty forgiving! 😉