When you ask any experienced archer what the most difficult aspect of archery form is, most all will tell you it’s mastering a surprise release. Whenever an archer releases an arrow, it is important that the archer does not change the course of the arrow by anticipating the arrow’s release. In the archery world this is known as “target panic”. The best archers in the world view their bow as an extension of their body, and they have no anxiety upon release. They let the bow shoot itself instead of trying to shoot the bow. In other words, they let go of control and trust that the bow will put the arrow on the mark at which they are aiming. This leads to far greater accuracy and consistency.
Letting go of control
In the same way we often try to control events, circumstances, and the future of our lives. Instead of trusting God’s plan and taking hard steps of faith, we start to trust ourselves instead of Jesus who loves us and made us. Trusting ourselves gets us no where. In fact it usually leads to heartbreak, sin, depression, emptiness, anxiety, loss of purpose, and feelings of hopelessness. If you find yourself wondering why your faith feels empty and dead, its probably in part because of a lack of trust in God and a lack of obedience to His call on your life.
I’ve experienced these things in my own life. I get so passive in my faith sometimes and those are the times when I feel furthest from Jesus. Instead of obeying His call on my life I put Him last on my list. I get distracted by the cares of this world and try to control my life. At times I don’t read my Bible, I don’t talk to Jesus (pray) throughout my day, and I find excuses not to share the gospel with those who have not heard. I create an “easy” and comfortable environment around myself while my intimacy with Jesus deteriorates.
Jesus calls all Christians to take uncomfortable and scary steps of faith for His kingdom. He has not called us to a life of comfort and ease but rather a life of sacrifice and obedience. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says it best: ” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Later Peter also reiterates this concept in 1 Peter 2:21 saying: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps.” The best part is when we make these uncomfortable and hard steps of faith and let go, Jesus is with us every step of the way. When we have to rely on Jesus, we allow Him to use us in ways greater than we could ever imagine. This creates a special intimacy between us and Jesus because we rely on Him for what we need and He fills us with the faith and the courage to fulfill the calling He has for each of us.
Letting go and going outside my comfort-zone
God put this topic on my heart because of the experiences I had on a mission trip to South East Asia recently. I was invited last January to go on this trip with the goal of establishing relationships with the locals living on remote islands through medical care/clinics. Through this outreach, the local church planters and pastors built relationships with the people and villages treated by the team with the future goal of planting churches in these areas.
I had mixed emotions about signing up for the trip but I made a promise to God that I would go. This was a big step of faith for me since I’ve never been to a true third world country. Leading up to the the trip I was afraid of what I may encounter. There were so many unknowns but I trusted Jesus was bigger than my fear.
Learning the hard lessons
The first two of the six clinic days on the remote islands we were hard for me. The poverty and the poor conditions these people lived in shocked me. I also felt anxious because I couldn’t communicate with the Bahasa-speaking locals and I didn’t know anything about their culture.
I’m naturally not an outgoing person and I have to push myself to befriend new people (something God is teaching me). Not knowing the language made it that much more difficult. I felt weak, helpless, and insecure.The fact that the government and some of the local religions had a history of hostility to Christians was intimidating as well. This was not an easy or comfortable situation for me. I had to give up my control of the circumstances I was in and surrender my hold on my environment. When I gave up control I realized God was with me every step. Even through my weakness He was still able to use me.
Thankfully, an outstanding translator who had a strong grasp on the Bahasa language worked a lot with me. He helped me connect with the patients and team members during the clinics and outside the clinics. I learned a few words in Bahasa which really made me feel more a part of the team. God showed me that these people placed far more value on the fact that I had come from so far away to care for them than they did my ability to connect with them verbally. A smile and caring touch were so much more valuable to them than anything I could say.
Moreover, I discovered the Christian locals on our team shared my same joy and passion for the gospel. God showed me how despite the differences of language and culture the love of Christ unites His followers. It amazed me how God revealed these beautiful lessons through my step of letting go of my control. The faith of the local Christians, the translators, and all the team support staff encouraged me. I honestly can’t wait to to go back and continue to participate in the work God is doing in South East Asia.
My encouragement for you
In order to prevent complacency, I realized after reflecting on this trip that there are questions we must constantly ask ourselves as Christians. What are areas of my life that I try to control instead of trusting God? Why do I try to push God out of these areas? How can I take steps of faith and obedience in my everyday life? Is there a coworker/friend that I know I need to share my faith with? Has God called me to lead a Bible study? Is there someone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness from? Is there someone God has put on my heart to disciple but I have not been obedient to God’s call?
Ponder these questions and then respond with action. Talking about taking steps of faith will not suffice. We must put obedience into action. I hope this post has encouraged and challenged you. I pray your steps of faith lead you to a more intimate knowledge and relationship with our wonderful King Jesus.
This post has been edited and posted with permission from Dane Hershberger. For more blog posts by Dane, checkout his blog Anchor Point
If you have a hard time facing these sort of fears, please check out my blog post Life Beyond Fear
