One of my friends shared with me that her word for the year of 2024 is to BE BOLD! Since we can all benefit from being bolder in our work for the Lord, I thought I would share this piece from my book, It’s Still Possible. Together, we can do it!
The British author and photographer Cecil Beaton wrote, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
A similar message can be read in Ecclesiastes 11:1, which says, “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters” and see what happens. Discovering all that is possible often means you must move past what you know and take a chance. You must be willing to be bold. Casting bread on the waters is an interesting metaphor. Literally, you would see little pieces of bread spreading out and floating away, one by one. Some bread would become dinner for a passing fish, but some, at least those that represent new opportunities, would go beyond your expectation where new possibilities emerge.
What bread can you cast on the waters in 2024? Is it your vision for a new product or service, your time or talents? Or perhaps it’s your goals and intentions?
Renewed faith, slowly moving beyond the bounds of your comfort zones and routines, guiding you with hope, has the ability to change your life. Nothing can happen, nothing can go forward, if you do not take the first step. Is God calling you to be a bit more daring, somewhat impractical, and step outside your safety zone? Is He asking you to trust Him and take that next leap of faith?
Jesus came to Earth and stepped into a world that wasn’t fully prepared for Him. He cast His Spirit on those around Him with daring and with integrity of purpose. He knew who He was and what He had to offer. He never doubted God’s plan, even when He could not see the fruit of His labors. He simply kept being the One who shared a different point of view and who went against the “play it safers” of His day.
One way you can share in His imaginative vision is to step out in faith, moving beyond what you know and choosing to believe God has a way to make things work together for good. Today is the perfect day to cast your bread upon the waters of faith and see what God has in mind for you. Be bold!