Deuteronomy 31:8 — Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.
I know. I’m a weird duck that actually likes mowing the lawn.
Yep. With a push mower.
There’s just something about manual labor and standing back to see a nicely manicured lawn when you’re done. The straight lines. The smell of fresh cut grass. It’s just honest work.
When I was little, my parents didn’t want me mowing. They said it was too dangerous. And to be fair, they weren’t being dramatic. I had a first cousin who lost an eye while mowing after a piece of metal flew up from under and hit him.
But while that accident was tragic, it didn’t stop him. He continued to mow, but from that point forward what he did do was use more caution. And I think we can learn a lot from that.
Because accidents aren’t the only thing we’re afraid of. Some of us are scared to love. We’re scared to try something new because we might fail or because we won’t have enough money, talent, or whatever that thing requires.
So we sit on the porch of our lives and watch the grass grow.
Fear will always hand you a list of worst-case scenarios. Faith hands you a pair of goggles and tells you to keep going. Because God isn’t sending you out alone—He goes ahead of you. He’s already in the unknown, and He’s not going anywhere. So, I think my cousin had it figured out.
Don’t let fear paralyze you. Live like someone who believes God has personally stepped into the what-ifs ahead of you.
Keep doing honest work because God won’t leave you no matter what might fly your way. There is no need to shrink back in fear or give into discouragement. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
Maybe there’s something you’ve been avoiding. A conversation. A calling. A fresh start. The grass is high, and the what-ifs are loud. But it is worth putting on your faith goggles.
Get back out there because maybe, just maybe, there’s joy to be found when you walk in courage.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What is something fear has been keeping you from stepping into right now?
- What “worst-case scenarios” have been playing on repeat in your mind?
- How would your next step look different if you truly believed God has already gone ahead of you?
- Where are you tempted to “sit on the porch” instead of stepping into what God is calling you toward?
- What does trusting God’s presence—not just His outcome—look like in your current situation?
- Is there one small step of courage you can take today?
- How does remembering that God will never leave or abandon you change the way you face uncertainty?