Have you ever felt that you were made for much more but for some reason, you have had difficulty reaching that level? Why is that? Maybe this is evident in your walk with the Lord, or in your relationships, or in your career efforts. As I thought about this in regards to my own life, I heard the phrase “stop shrinking back.”
As a young child growing up in Liberia, I vividly remember a plant (I do not know the name of the plant) whose leaves, upon touch, would close up and fold. Perhaps, this was a mechanism designed to protect the plant from predators; perhaps, this was a mechanism to camouflage the plant and make it less attractive to passerbys. Whatever the case, one thing is sure. No one could truly see the potential and beauty of the plant, because it always closed up, shrank back when it was on the verge of being .
And many times, I see this very mechanism in my own life and the lives of others. I shrink and make myself small so that I do not stand out. I shrink back for fear of falling when I stand tall. I shrink back and don’t allow others to get close to me because maybe if they do, they will see my flaws and my fears, all of which require vulnerability. Sometimes I shrink back because I’m afraid of what will be required of me. Maybe if I don’t show up, I won’t have to perform up to standard. Maybe if no one sees me, I’ll blend in and just be “average.”
But every time I have tried to hide away, I hear the Lord saying “stop shrinking back.” What would happen if I actually stopped being afraid of who the Lord has already ordained me to be? What if I stopped running from the great things that God has already prepared me for? What if instead of closing up, I opened up and began to walk like the child of God He has called me to be?
The Bible is filled with individuals who were reluctant to stand tall, who would have preferred to remain small. Gideon, Elijah, Moses, and Peter struggled with being who God called them to be. On the other hand, David, Elisha, Joshua, Esther, Paul stood firm and did not shy away from the purpose God had given them. The major difference I see in these individuals is confidence in the Lord’s promise, faith that despite having all the answers, the Lord’s purpose would prevail. I see that they all trusted in God’s ability to take pieces and make a whole.
Lord, I no longer want to ponder upon the what ifs. I want to show up and allow your power to work in and through me. I no longer want to shrink back from opportunities you are sending my way; instead, I want to walk boldly in the faith that you will complete the work you have already started in me. You will not relent until it is complete.
Ephesians 2:10 He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
