Enlarge the place of your tent!

Today's challenge was seared upon my heart by Isaiah 54:2-3

"Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide;
do not hold back.
Lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities."

This was God's Word of preparation to the Israelites in their Babylonian exile and captivity thousands of years ago, with a promise to break the curse and shame of their barrenness and disobedience.

The Word imparts such a glorious vision! I believe God spoke it with the same gravity and urgency as that of when He said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people, and your father's household to the land I will show you.. and I will make you into a great nation...." (Genesis 12:1-2)

Just do it! Don't hold back. This is where I begin!

Today, Isaiah 54:2-3 spoke personally to me. My dad used to tell me how my mum was such a very careful person. Over-careful sometimes. I guess I inherited that trait! My boyfriend gently told me the exact same thing not too long ago! *Sheepish grin*

I'm not a very adventurous person by nature (told you guys how I climbed the rocks at Stella Maris' beach like a robot, while Ben jumped from rock to rock as easily as a frisky mountain goat -didn't I?:P), I take ages to make a decision, I can get terribly fickle-minded about things coz I'm afraid of making wrong choices and failing, I hate making mistakes and bearing the losses they may bring, I give up very quickly when I don't get all my ducks in a row (*Quack!!*), and it takes quite some time for me to let go of my fears and take risks. I tend to stick to things that have been proven to work (including regimes, methods, etc, etc), do not adapt well to sudden changes (makes me cranky) and I never fail to plan.

In short, I'm a control freak in many ways (not to mention a perfectionist too!)...although God has been working to transform me in that. Nowadays, while I still climb the rocks like a robot, I find that I'm able to take the initiative more often - especially in ministry, relax more when things don't go my way, not give up so easily and take more calculated risks. Indeed God's work in me has liberated me to be more creative, bolder and to respond more positively to challenges. In the past few years especially, how my faith has stretched!

There's been a burden on my heart to take up a few challenges lately - but I keep getting thrown off-track and procrastinating. Partially because I do not know where to start. Partially because I do not know if it is worthwhile to start. Partially because I lack faith - I keep thinking of money constraints, time constraints, etc, etc. And partially because I'm terrified of not being able to keep up with the thing I've begun. So today, when I read this Word, I suddenly realized that I had the peace in my heart to begin 'enlarging the place of my tent, stretching my tent curtains wide, lengthening cords, and strengthening my stakes'. Well, God didn't say that I am to work on 'spreading out to the right and to the left'! I just need to enlarge the place of my tent - and He would work on the rest in His time.

Friends, is there something God has laid upon your hearts to do for Him? Has He given you a vision of something you could have never dreamed of (not even in your wildest dreams)? Start taking the first step today.