You find yourself standing at the brink; the challenge or change or BIG MOVE stretches out in front of you. You start to step out and you hesitate. You rethink. You begin to step out again and again you pull back.
What is it that causes hesitation?
Are you unable? Or unwilling?
Those are two very different motivations.
If you’re unable, that’s solvable. Maybe you need more time or a degree (doubtful) or certification or maybe you need a deeper network (more people to open doors for you). But whatever that step is, you can make a plan to take it and change your inability to ability.
Hesitation solved.
Of course the other side is recognizing the possibility that you are truly unable and no certification or amount of coaching or college is going to change that fact. Now you must recognize that you’ve arrived at the wrong crossroads. You must change your options.
Either way, you’ve solved your hesitation issues, now you can move.
But what about the other state of mind? You find that deep down you are unwilling to take the next step. You’ve been presented with what seems to be a wonderfully life-changing opportunity; going onto the mission field or getting married or going into business for yourself.
And now you discover that the only thing keeping you from pursuing that course of action is your lack of willingness. You look at the mountain of change that presents itself with any big opportunity and simple decide you’re not up to it.
This is much different than inability. Being unable is an outside circumstance you can set up a plan of action to solve. Being unwilling is an inward condition of the heart and requires much deeper action.
Ask yourself (for you are really the only one who can figure this out) why are you unwilling?
Is it stubbornness?
Are there unresolved issues lying beneath the surface some where that need to be dealt with?
In my experience oftentimes our unwillingness is usually rooted in one thing…we’re scared.
Somewhere in our past we’ve stepped out and been hurt. Things didn’t work out and now that fear is paralyzing us, keeping us from moving forward.
I wish I could take that fear away. I wish there was something I could say that would cause you to slap your forehead and exclaim, “Oh! Wow! I see it now. Okay, I’m fine. I can deal with this!”
But the truth is that’s what a walk of faith is all about. Joyce Meyer says, “do it afraid.” That’s great advice. To me that says that fear, at least some form of it, will always be with us. It’s not necessarily about getting rid of the fear. It’s about learning the life-skill of overcoming fear. The opposite of faith isn’t unbelief as much as it’s fear. And walking (or in reality “standing still”) in fear is no way to live.
Being “unable” to take the step is solved by making a plan of action.
Being “unwilling” to take the step is solved by a decision. You make the faith-filled decision to stare fear in the face, take a deep breath and make the decision to be willing to step out.
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