Now, not when

Hey y’all

Today I want to share some thoughts on calculated risk. Risk is often scary, to a point where we end up abandoning our passions and dreams. However, when risk is taken at the right time and place it can produce effective results and life-changing moments. I hope this post will challenge your thinking and get you to do at least one of the things you have on your to-do list.

A lot of times I find myself living life through a futuristic lens, while life passes me by. I would only want to do things when I feel ready. I would deny myself from engaging in certain things because I waited for a certain time. Whilst there may be wisdom in that, it’s also wise to discern when to move or to take a risk. There’s a time for everything and I am learning the importance of exploring things without allowing fear to paralyze me. I have allowed fear to keep me in prison for too long. This led to viewing things from a limited point of view. I could never allow myself to risk things when I should have. This means I lost out on some opportunities. I postponed events to that ‘perfect’ future that I always dreamt of, the future that had all the resources required. Somehow, the thought of leaving things for the future helped me avoid dealing with my fears.

I have come to learn that when I face my fears, they become smaller and powerless and my foggy view of life becomes clearer. The lesson I learned and continue to learn is to adapt to the mindset of “now, not when”. If God has placed dreams in our hearts, we must learn to explore them now, not when we have enough time or money, not when we have become the so-called perfect people we think we ought to be. Sometimes when we postpone our destiny activities we may be operating from fear, a fear of failure or disappointment.

What things do you need to pick up and do now? What are you postponing because of fear? Is it applying for that senior position, or doing the deep work of healing your broken heart? Could it be forgiving the person who has not even asked for forgiveness?

Let me share a short personal story with you. I generally enjoy swimming but I knew that I had some fear of being in the ocean, the last time I went on a boat cruise, I became seasick. I then concluded that I had a phobia of the ocean. However, on my recent trip to Mauritius, I allowed myself to be stretched. My friend and I went on a Catamaran boat cruise, which was the whole day. The last stop on that cruise was at an Island called Ile aux Cerfs. This island offered parasailing as an activity. The initial thought of exploring parasailing was scary. I remembered how Jonah from the bible was swallowed up by a huge fish (Jonah 1: 17) and wondered what the worst thing that could happen to us was. After the back and forth, I decided to surrender my fears and try it out anyway. It turned out to be a great activity, the view of the ocean was breathtaking and made me appreciate God’s creation even more. There was little discomfort and so much enjoyment, imagine if I had decided not to try it out! This was one of the best decisions I made during our trip because it made me realize how many other decisions I have made or postponed based on fear. Fear limits us and inflates the things that make us uncomfortable but in that moment, I chose to parasail anyway, and I did it scared.

My encouragement to you today is to do it now, not when. I pray God may meet you where you are and give you wings to fly forward with the gifts and passion He placed inside of you. Do it now, not when. Do it scared knowing God is faithful in ordering your steps and He will bring you clarity.

Psalm 119: 105

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”.

You are blessed,

Unathi.