The Game of Life: Releasing the Weight When God Says WaitSample
Trust Fall
Trust Fall is a game that many businesses, sports teams, and church organizations use to build trust amongst their members and teammates. One person crosses their arms over their chest, closes their eyes, and blindly falls back with the hope that the person behind them catches them before they hit the ground. Whew! Just thinking about that gives me anxiety. Why? Because one bad experience with Peggy (at dance camp) and a bruised bum spurred my fear of playing this game. When yours truly finally stopped trembling and worked up the nerve to faithfully fall, good ‘ole Peggy got distracted and my behind was introduced to the gym floor. Since then, my trust falls have been limited.
Can you relate? How about this; have you ever eaten at a particular fast-food restaurant and suffered food poisoning? What are the chances that you return to that restaurant? Slim to none if you are anything like me, for fear that it will happen again.
I believe this holds in our daily lives. For many of us, the areas where we have been hurt or let down by others tend to be the areas where fear has settled in and planted its roots. We become demoralized at the thought of reliving a situation. From that moment on, hesitancy is incubated, and every step becomes a calculated move based upon the reasoning of our past experiences.
I know in the valley of my waiting season, the spirit of fear heavily kicked in after my miscarriage. The fear of having another miscarriage troubled my spirit. Not to mention, if the intense stomach pains of that incident were anything like labor pains, then I was petrified. That fear eventually paralyzed me and created apprehension in my pursuit of a family.
Another aspect of fear that can stifle our wait is the worry that what we are believing God for, will never happen. Again, this stems from our experience or lack thereof. If we have yet to see our promise manifest, it becomes difficult to envision it coming to fruition. The longer our desires tarry, the deeper the fears embed into our minds, giving way to hesitancy, resistance, and even hopelessness.
Fear comes boxed in all types of bows of deception that can stem from one unfortunate or unfavorable situation. God wants to untangle the fears that are choking your destiny. He wants you to lean back and to trust Him with your whole heart, and with each trust fall, you will gain more and more confidence in His security and faithfulness. Are you ready? Cross your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and fall back into the arms of the Father. I guarantee He is a safe place to land. Trust Him.
In your wait . . . release the weight of fear. Trust God with your whole heart.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, reveal any hidden fears that are lying dormant in my life so that I can surrender them to You. Lead me into a deeper place of trusting You with my whole heart. Amen.
Scripture
About this Plan
Waiting sucks! Although we may all be waiting for something different, the waiting game still feels the same. Feelings like disappointment, discouragement, and anxiety can chip away at happiness and our confidence in God. In The Game of Life Devotional, Dacía James Lewis uses her favorite childhood games and biblical principles to offer encouragement and guidance in releasing the weight of the wait.
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