Be More

With a new year just weeks away, I have been thinking about what living life outside of the safe box of familiar could look like--wondering how different life would be if we simply decided to trust God fully...

Many years ago I met a lady who shared a story with me that I have never forgotten.  She told of a time when she and some friends climbed to the top of a challenging mountain.  Once they reached the top, the feeling of accomplishment was exhilarating; the view breathtaking.  As she walked around exploring, feeling as if she were on top of the world, she came upon a wooden sign that had been staked into the ground by an earlier explorer.  The sign simply stated: “Be More.”

I think of those words a lot, especially when I know I am settling for less than what God has for me.  

Hidden desires and dreams are never hidden from the One who knit us together in our mother’s womb.  However, persistence and fortitude are always required in our pursuit to “Be More.” 

Just like the training required for any competitive sporting event – the real preparation; the hard work and discipline, take place long before game day arrives.  Hidden from the world, the behind the scenes work is a necessary part of the process of becoming who we were created to become.   Change must first begin within ourselves.  

Climbing to the top of Mount Unbelievable wouldn’t mean so much if it didn’t require digging deep and hanging on even when the strong winds of change and defeat try to knock us down.  

Sometimes, what once felt exhilarating and full of life no longer fulfills not because we’re doing something wrong; but because yesterday’s breathtaking view was meant for yesterday.  Just as we prepare to make camp at the top of Mount Unbelievable, God whispers, “There’s more.”

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18NIV) 

God desires to lead us into a “new thing.”

It’s easy to look back and remember what we perceive to have been the “good ole days.”  God is saying, “Stop that.  The new thing I am doing is so much better than you could ever dream or imagine.”

I’ve been reconsidering the way I’ve been doing things.  To “Be More” is to trust God fully, to let go of control, to risk everything—to walk in total obedience and total surrender to the King. 

God has instilled within each one of us desires and dreams.  It’s time to forget the former things, it’s time to leave the safety of what is familiar; it’s time to “Be More.”

Stay the Course...

Sheila Cote