The thought that I could move on from a stable job and income to do something out of my comfort zone was frightening. I am a loyal person who has to be thrown out of a place to leave. My expectation has often been to see the Lord place something in my lap so I could be sure it was of Him. I realize that loyalty is a good trait, but it can also be the rope keeping one moored when it is time to set sail.
Henry Blackaby always said that the Lord speaks through circumstances, prayer, other people, and the word. For most, hearing the voice of the Lord can be something of a mystery. This has proven true in my own life as I have sought to hear from God. Yet, the mystery has turned out not to be a mystery at all, as I have followed the pattern of seeking the word and then seeing confirmation through others, prayer, circumstances, and obedience.
I am a social worker by profession, and I have a past job history of counseling in private psychiatric settings. Growing up, I found that people would tell me their problems and seek my counsel and advice. This penchant for talking was the basis on which I decided to go to graduate school and hone my skills. It only took about three years in a clinical setting to open my eyes to the reality of the fact that people do not want to change. Now, before I sound jaded, let me say that my heart in counseling others was, in some way, to see a change in them. As I saw the struggle in the lives of others to change, I was more aware of my own struggles.
The barrier to change is that it takes effort to do it. It seems easier to stay the way we are because there is a dying of sorts in changing. Death to a default habit or passion or death to a path taken so often that one no longer has to think which way to go. Change is scary as well and unknown. But change is a critical path to a believer as she becomes more like Christ, and there is no other way. My heart is to speak about how we change and identify tangible steps toward change to take in real-time. My hope is that believers can practice real-time obedience to the Lord.