"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete."
This newsletter wasn't my idea, and this blog wasn't my idea either. If you think I'm going to immediately over-spiritualize this and say it was God's idea, I'm not. It was actually my husband's idea.
I kept complaining about how life post-grad was hard for me. I really missed college because I was around people who cared about words and I was able to pursue my dream of writing every day. I was still trying to figure out how to jam that missing piece of my life into a full schedule with work, friends, church, and other responsibilities. Honestly, I was kind of bored.
But I was also full of excuses.
As soon as my husband suggested I start a weekly newsletter, I objected. Most of my objections came from lies that had been spoken over me in the past.
No one will want to read it.
I'm not consistent enough to do anything weekly.
I can't commit to that.
I don't have anything to write about.
I'm just not that good.
But the idea stuck with me, and I found myself boldly telling random people I was starting a weekly newsletter just to see what their response was. It felt like an out of body experience calling myself a writer and boldly saying, "I'm starting a weekly newsletter!"
I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth because I was still wrestling with what felt like insurmountable self-doubt.
Timidly, I started taking really, tiny, baby steps.
I bought a domain.
I came up with a blog concept.
I got a mailchimp account.
I prayed God would connect me with the audience who this could serve.
Then one day, I hit "send."
That first week was full of uncertainty. I didn't know how long I would do this for, I didn't have a name for it, I was just taking this one step unsure if it would only last a few weeks like my short-lived ukulele obsession.
This past week, I've been sending out a weekly newsletter for two years. Simply put, it changed my life.
Maybe you find yourself in a similar position today as I was two years ago. Maybe someone suggested you consider a new job, or a serving opportunity at church, or boldly asking a new friend to grab coffee.
For some reason, you find yourself listening to those subtle lies about who you are and about whether or not you're capable.
Over the past two years, I've learned that God can use my "yes" even if it's said timidly, infused with self-doubt, or spoken with a little bit of fear. He isn't limited by any of that.
He's cheering us on when we hit "send" even with the typos, when we ask a new friend to hang out even if we face rejection, when we show up to the job interview even if it feels out of reach.
Blogging has taught me simple obedience. Whatever that small step looks like for you today, say "yes" to God. Who knows where He will take you a few years from now.