Over and over again we are encouraged by God to “go out, and…” be fruitful, steward, disciple, love, etc.

To help us go, God continues with the encouragement by reminding us we are not alone, not to worry, and not to fear, but to trust, and seek Him as we go.

It’s almost as if He is prodding us like a mother bird nudging her babies to jump out of the nest, spread their wings, and take flight. They were made to fly. They have to fly to truly live, and the same is true for us.

We are not made to remain inside, closed off, and playing it safe behind our comfort zones.

We were made to go out, and live abundantly in Christ. A life only Jesus can offer. A life of high hopes, authentic love, and foundational faith.

This is learning to live free from our natural compulsions to compete with others, compare ourselves to others, and seeking confirmations from others as the key measure to our self worth and value.

Naturally, this life isn’t the easiest. Like the young birds learning to fly, there is risk, and uncertainty, but there is also a calling, and an invitation to take flight, and to go do what created to do.

The same is true for us. Granted, some seemingly have no issue with going. As they appear to jump eagerly, and excitedly, and are constantly on the go – but again, we can not compete, or compare. For the action itself is not the full invitation.

It’s not simply for the thrill, or the running from one rush to the next. There is more purpose to the going than that. It’s a going of trust. To go out with faithful intentionality.

For the bird, it is to learn how to find food, seek shelter, grow stronger, discover companionship, and to learn how to engage the wild they were born into.

Interestingly, our “going” accomplishes much of the same. For me, I am realizing it serves as various invitations to go out and engage new explorations with God, and through these explorations I am discovering new and deeper relationships with Him, myself, and others – which leads to new transformations in my life.

For example, as we go, and discover new places, new people, and new experiences, we are engaging unknowns. Things we’re not always prepared for. So, there’s risk, uncertainty, vulnerability, learning, growing, and exposure. As a result, we discover deeper communion with God.

God reminds us He is the way to knowing and discovering our true self. For what value is there in gaining the whole world if we lose our soul in the process?

God’s way is the way of recovery, and discovery to our true self. Our way, and the world’s way apart from God is the way to lose one’s self.

“Therefore, go…and know, I am always with you”. Dare we head the call? Will we accept the invitations, engage the risks, take the adventures, and live the life only our faith can lead us into?

I pray it be so. To be willing to go out in faith, while our bodies still can, and in heart, even when our bodies no longer can.