A few years ago I decided that I didn’t need any new friends. I knew the good and the bad about the people in my life, and didn’t want to take on what felt like the burden of new people.
Thank God I didn’t stay there! In the Bible people laugh at God because His plans seem preposterous and totally impossible; but I do believe Jesus looked at me when I made this decision and laughed, thinking, “Girl, if you only knew what I have in store for you! It’s all about new people.”
My plans for my life were so small compared to what He had in store for me. What if I had stayed closed off from new people, places, and adventures? I look back through the years and I cannot imagine that life without those plans unfolding for me.
Isn’t that what the whole Bible is about, especially the New Testament: choosing to do life with new people? Jesus was always calling new people to follow Him and they came from all walks of life and background.
The comfort we experience in doing things the way we have done them for a long time is deceptive. Being uncomfortable provides room for emotional and spiritual growth.
I think it’s also wise to give a nod to the way things were, and to acknowledge that God is calling us from our comfortable places to a new thing. It is wise to recognize the sense of loss we might be feeling because of any major change, and to trust God for what He is doing because we know He won’t leave us or forsake us.
Look back at God’s faithfulness in your life, and in the lives of people you know. Based on what we know and have experienced of God’s character, we can choose daily to walk in faith, trust, and hope – to trust Him with our new adventures and new seasons – and yes, with the new people He will bring into our lives and with the new way of doing things.
The new things take some getting used to, some learning of the ropes, and some discomfort – but in the growing, maturing Christian life, would we have it any other way?
Copyright © Debbie Mendoza January 2022
debbie mendoza 