not waiting to exhale

Exhaling is an act of trust. It's letting go of what's familiar but already used up so that we can receive something new and life-giving.

When Sarah first shared with the staff that she would like to lead a mission trip to China, I felt in my heart that this was the right thing for Grace Community to do. This Sunday is the deadline for making a commitment to go. And now there's uncertainty. There's a need for us to exhale if God is going to be able to work in and through us.

Exhaling means letting go of our fears. Will it be dangerous? Who will take care of my (fill in the blank: family, job, business)? What if I'm not strong enough or capable enough? All of these are valid concerns. But we have a God who is big enough to take care of all of these things. If we are to experience that care we have to exhale so that we can inhale the life-giving Spirit that will sustain us and enable us to do God's work in places we may not have dreamed of.

Mary sang, "The Mighty One has done great things for me" before she had given birth to Jesus or experienced his public ministry or been awed by his resurrected presence (Luke 1:49). May we, too, be able to sing God's praises as we exhale.