The hardest part of starting something new…

I have wanted to start something like this newsletter for years now, but I always had an excuse not to.

I was nervous about people reading my writing. Something about writing makes the things I say feel more permanent. What if I say something wrong, and that error is etched onto my person forever? Or, I often fear that my writing is boring, or that it holds no value. What if I write and no one ever reads it?

The hardest part about starting new is starting.

So many of us have the dreams and we have the gifts, though maybe not as refined as it need be yet. We probably have the resources to get started and some idea of how to accomplish the goal. It is taking the first step that is always the most anxiety-filled.

I will never forget my first time preaching as pastor of Urbana Friends Church. I was trying to play it cool, but in some ways I felt as though I was an imposter. Who was I to be preaching to these people? I went to the restroom during the first couple songs to calm my nerves. And as I paced the restroom my nose began to bleed. I was stressed out!

But I went out and preached. I did what I loved, what God had placed on my heart, and I thoroughly loved the people in that room.

I love writing. I feel like God has placed it on my heart, a burden for me to write more.

God always seems to give the grace for us to start new.

Here are a few takeaways I have found in starting new things that make taking that first step a little easier:

• Most people also don’t know what they are doing. I remember watching a video of a contractor who does custom home jobs. After doing an amazing work, he gave the audience a moment of humility and honesty. He said that, though he has done this work for twenty years, there are still days he feels like he doesn’t really know what he is doing. He just has gotten more used to the tools he has and the materials used to get things done. After twenty years he still didn’t feel like a master, but doing it everyday makes the uncomfortable more comfortable.

• Become anti-fragile. This is one of my favorite sayings. Life is full of setbacks and disappointments. Sometimes the new thing that is bursting from your life does not get the response you desire from the world that surrounds you. Being someone who starts new things, does new things, develops in you an inner strength that encourages you to persevere.

• Be as open-minded as you can. We just moved into an apartment on Saturday. This is a big shift from the place we are coming from where we owned our home just a stone’s throw from the church building. There is a laundry list of things that I could focus on of what doesn’t work just right in this location, of the things that are inconvenient. But to do so would ignore the tremendous opportunity of living in this spot. When starting new, I think it is best to dwell on the opportunity that lay before you. When you say “yes” to something new, you become an adventurer exploring uncharted territory. Be okay with changing the original design and dream as you learn and grow. Allow the new thing to grow our there, but also allow it to grow something new in you.

• God has you. There is great security in a relationship with God. I truly believe that the new things I am drawn to are dreams planted in my soul by God. Even when the future is gray or is in doubt, know that God has not left you. God is the ultimate creator of new things and redeemer of old things. Trust in the Lord during your trying of new things. May His peace guide you.

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It would help me a lot. Thanks for reading!