I stood on the shore of the Nile River, took one look at the raging rapids before us and said to my husband, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this rafting trip.”

He smiled and assured me that the rafting company we were going with had seen no injuries or fatalities on their rafting trips. This did not reassure me.

His enthusiasm was contagious though and before I knew it, I was sitting in a raft with a handful of other brave souls, pushing away from the shoreline and into the rapids ahead.

I prayed hard. “Dear God, please keep us safe. Please keep me from dying. Please – OHHH!” I yelled as the first rapid hit. I’ve done a lot of rafting trips in my time, but none was like this one. The rapids were up to class 4 and after surviving several of them, our guide steered us back to the shore for a moment.

“Ok,” he said, “We’re coming to a group of rapids we call ‘The Bad Place’. If you go, you’re going to get thrown out of the boat and be pushed under the water for a few seconds. Don’t panic though (!!!) because you’ll pop back out quickly and it will be awesome! What do you think? Are you guys in??”

It must have been peer pressure because we all nodded a tentative yes and climbed back into the boat to face “The Bad Place.” Everything our guide said would happen happened.

I was thrown out of the boat and forced under water. I told myself not to panic while I was actually panicking the whole time. Eventually the hydrolic nature of the water shot me back up to the surface and I was able to float steadily towards the shore, where I grabbed the ground like I had just swum the English Channel.

Saying “Yes” in the Face of Fear

My mom described me as a “fearless child” who would try anything. But all of us (even the “fearless” ones) have comfort zones, and that trip down the Nile definitely breached mine!

Your comfort zone is that place that you understand. You know how to navigate it, manage it, and keep it within your control (or your perceived sense of control).

You know you are coming up to the border of one of your comfort zones when thoughts like these go through your mind:

“That’s too hard for me.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I’ve never done ________ before. I’m sure I shouldn’t try now.”
“If I do that, ___________(insert fear) will happen.”

God has a way of beckoning to us to step beyond our comfort zones into new places of growth and exploration, because we can’t grow much when we aren’t stretched, can we?

Boundaries are good. They keep us healthy and sane. But sometimes, our boundaries can become walls that shut out people, God, and adventures in life.

Stepping Out in Faith

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

If you feel God is calling you to step out into something new, ask Him to lead your steps and increase your faith to take that step forward.

Overcoming a fear often leads to a wonderful life experience.
We may start out tentatively but before long, we may very well find ourselves in a whole new comfort zone doing something we previously thought was impossible for us!

Writer Dominique Mosbergen shared the incredible story of a woman who refused to give up when she fell hard. Mosbergen writes, “In 2008, Heather Dorniden, then a celebrated runner for the University of Minnesota, was leading the pack during the final heat of the 600-meter race at the Big Ten Indoor Track Championships. There was about 200 meters of the race to go when Dorniden tripped, landing hard on her face.”

“But instead of throwing in the towel, the young woman jumped back onto her feet and began sprinting around the track, rapidly gaining speed….Incredibly, Dorniden managed to zip past her competitors, finally crossing the finish line in first place.”

The video of Dorniden’s race went viral on the Internet, inspiring all those who watch it with her perseverance and refusal to give up.

When You Fall, Don’t Stay Down!

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.” – Micah 7:8

As we walk through the season of Lent and get closer to celebrating the Passion of Christ and His Resurrection, I’m taking some time to meditate on a part of the Passion story that I often pass over: the denial of Peter.

This brash disciple was full of unrestrained pride and anger and yet oozing with boldness and leadership potential.

He was quick to tell Jesus, “Even if everyone else denies you, I will never deny you!!” Oh, Peter. Peter, Peter, Peter.

Jesus responds by prophesying the exact details of Peter’s denial. He tells Peter that before the rooster crows, he will deny Jesus three times.

Let’s get this picture straight – Peter was a leader among the disciples. His pride (“Even if everyone else denies you, I never will!”) preceded his fall and when what Jesus prophesied came to pass, Peter was devastated.

I wonder if Peter thought he could never face Jesus or the other disciples again.

I wonder if he thought he could never be forgiven.

I wonder if he thought, “there’s no hope for me now.”

I know he needed encouragement to get back on his feet again, because when the angel appeared to the women at Jesus’s tomb, he said, “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died” (Mark 16:7).

Restored to Follow, Restored to Lead

In the beautiful conversation Jesus has with Peter on the beach as they eat breakfast, Jesus asks him three times (perhaps one for every time Peter denied him?) “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”

Each time Peter answers an affirmative “Yes.” And each time Jesus responds with an instruction, “Feed my Sheep..Tend my Lambs.”

Jesus not only restores Peter to fellowship with him, but basically says, “Don’t stay down. You know that I love you and you love me. And you have work to do. Follow Me and Shepherd my people so that they know to follow Me, too.”

Dear friend, can you relate to Peter today? I know that I can. I am committed to loving Christ and loving others and yet still sin multiple times a day.

I can pray in the morning for patience with my children and by 10am I can already be angry and snapping impatiently at them. In that moment of anger, I have a choice to make.

I can continue in my anger and stay stuck in a pit for the rest of the day, pulling my family down with me. Or I can look to Christ who is saying, “Get up! Repent! Follow Me. We have work to do. Tend my Sheep. They need a shepherd.”

Here’s a challenge for you and me this week – when we fall (and we certainly will) let’s not wallow. Let’s not say to ourselves, “Well, this is just who I am. I will never change!”

Let’s see how quickly we can turn our gaze to Christ and his cross and cling to his mercy and grace. Let’s see how fast our hearts can bow in repentance and receive his forgiveness (and that of others if necessary) so that we can move forward with the work that God has set before us today – the work that is most importantly loving Him and loving others.

Let’s take a tip from Heather Dorniden’s race, which proves that those who fall most certainly do not have to stay down. In fact, they can even win their race!

Progo! You said we were Namers. I still don’t know; what is a Namer?

“I’ve told you. A Namer has to know who people are, and who they are meant to be. I don’t know why I should have been shocked at finding Echthroi on your planet.”

“Why are they here?”

“Echthroi are always about when there’s war. They start all war.”

“Progo, I saw all that awfulness you took me to see, that tearing of the sky, and all, but you still haven’t told me exactly what Echthroi are.”

Proginoskes probed into her mind, searching for words she could understand. “I think your mythology should call them fallen angels. War and hate are their business, and one of their chief weapons is un-Naming – making people not know who they are. If someone knows who he is, really knows, then he doesn’t need to hate. That’s why we still need Namers, because there are places throughout the universe like your planet Earth. When everyone is really and truly Named, then the Echthroi will be vanquished.”

~ Madeleine L’Engle, A Wind in the Door

I read a book once by a man who told his children every night at bed time, “You are a beautiful, wonderful, child of God.” I thought it was a great idea. So, periodically, when I am putting my kids to bed, I will just look them in the eyes and say, “You are a beautiful, wonderful child of God.”

I say things like this to my kids (and even to myself) because we all hear other voices that whisper in our ears. That say, “You – just you- aren’t enough.” Those voices may make us feel worthless. Insignificant. That we need to do something great to earn the approval of God and others. That if we were really just smarter, more successful, more this or more that – our lives would matter more.

Made in God’s Image

But those voices lie. And I agree with L’Engle’s cherubim, Proginoskes. We need more Namers. People who know their purpose and significance and will help others discover theirs as well.

I want to be a Namer. I want to encourage you, not with fluffy statements to temporarily boost your self-esteem, but with words of truth that will last forever.

I want to tell you today that you are of great value to God.

You have been created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

You are greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7, Ephesians 2:4, Colossians 3:12)

You are so loved that He sent His only Son on your behalf (John 3:16-17).

You are His workmanship, created in Him for good works which He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).

God is the ultimate “Namer.” He calls us by name and speaks the truth to us of our created purpose: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1).

I’m praying for no more rips in the sky today. I’m praying that I will live as one who has been truly Named and that so will you. That we will take our place as light-shiners, as image-bearers of the Most High God and that slowly we will watch the darkness be vanquished forever.