First Time for Everything

Every time you do something there's a "first-time experience" associated with it.  The first time I rode on a train (that I remember) was in 1963.  My mom, my brother and I took a train from Detroit to Denver, and though I was only three years old, I'll never forget it.  The first time I flew on an airplane I was six.  Yes they had airplanes back then.  They even had jet engines on them.  You know what?  I remember the excitement of doing something new, but I also remember being a little afraid, 'cause I'd never done anything like that before.  I would feel that same feeling a thousand more times in the years that followed, each time I did something new, or moved somewhere new, or took a new job, or...

Maybe you have memories of the first time you did something new as a kid.  It may have been riding a new ride at the theme park, moving to a new town, or holding hands for the first time with someone you really liked.  The first time we do anything can be exhilarating, and it can also be a time of some emotional turmoil.  Maybe you stared up at that huge roller coaster, and though you were excited to try it, you had butterflies in your stomach.  Maybe you were a little afraid.  Maybe you were a lot afraid.  In fact, you probably felt that same feeling many more times in your life; like each time you moved to a new school, or embarked on a new career, or started a new relationship.

Anytime we do anything for the first time, there's a sense in which we are stepping into the unknown.  It's exciting, but it can also be a little bit (or a lot) scary because, after all, the unknown is, by definition, well...unknown.  In other words, we don't know what we know about the unknown until we have stepped into it, and it becomes known.  To which everyone reading this is thinking, "Well, duh!"

But even knowing that can leave us unsettled on the inside at times.  Fortunately, God knows all about sending his people (you and me) into the unknown, and He's not worried about it.  In Hebrews 11:8, Paul recounts Abraham's experience when he says, "Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home".  That scripture is part of a long passage in the Bible where Paul is talking about faith.  See, that's the great thing about stepping into the unknown; even though we may not know what lies ahead, we can have faith that God does.  God already knows what lies ahead for you and me.  Nothing is unknown to him.  Remembering that can give us great comfort when we're about to step off the edge, into something new.  God knows.

So embrace the adventure that God has set before you, knowing in your heart that He has a plan for your life, and if you'll put one foot in front of the other (even if you're nervous about it), He'll get you exactly where you need to be to do you and Him the most possible good. Whatever lies before you, allow God's peace to guide you, and like Abraham, just say, "Yes" when He says, "Go".

Remember, there's a first time for everything.  And it might just be the best time of your life!