As a child, my mom would have us pretend like we were blind, usually at night before bed. We would have to close our eyes, turn out all the lights, and find our way through the house. We would giggle and laugh as we would bump into corners or desks or chairs or each other. As a mom, I look back at the times she would have us do this and now understand the “why” behind her actions. During thunderstorms or tornado watches, when we easily could have been scared and the electricity would be out, she would tell us “lets pretend we are blind again” and off we’d go, forgetting about the streaks of lightening that would brighten the darkened rooms or the thunder that would threaten to shake the house down. The memories I have of this bring not only joy at the love she had (and still has) for us, but wonder, at how God can use even the smallest of things in our life as a piece of our puzzle. Who knew that God was slowly preparing me for a life of blind faith.
Ever experienced it? Have you ever taken a step or made a decision without having a clue where or how the “answer” would come?
Maybe you find you are struggling because you know there’s more, you are craving for something to change, yet you still do the same routine day after day. “How do I GO on a journey of blind faith? How does that work? What steps do I take when I know I want more, but it’s not possible?”
Not many are able to handle this experience of blind faith. Here’s why: The first few steps of action start happening, you are nervous, but ready, to be doing what you know is next. You are high-fiving the ones around you out of excitement. But then the turn becomes a bit windy. And the thunder cracks and then the lightening brightens up the dark room and there are shadows that appear, creaks that cause you to stumble, and your breath becomes a bit labored. You start looking back over your shoulder for the light, running for the known, sprinting for the U-turn that will take you back to the straight and wide and the breathing slows back down, the weight in the chest starts to subside, the windshield reflects all that you need to see, right out in front of you, and you smile. “This is right. This has to be right. God doesn’t intend for me to experience all of THAT back there.” And you settle back into your day to day and those little steps that you were so proud of slowly disappear behind you as the days turn into years.
And then one day, it rises again. “I am made for more.” You are supposed to do something that’s original, unheard of, the 
unthinkable. You just know it, feel it. But that weight in the chest rises, the horizon that you see so clearly in the windshield starts turning to fog, and you tuck it away, back into your pocket. Your spouse has no idea, you don’t breathe a word of it to anyone, and you smile and just live out today.
See, sometimes we jump ship so quickly at the first sign of fear, that God doesn’t even have a chance to show up. What you may not realize is the journey of not knowing what’s next is……exhilarating. At first, your eyes are so wide with fear that you want to turn back. But with that very next step, you’ll find the fear slowly starts meshing itself with awe, which then morphs into nothing more than exhilarating blind faith. You start to experience such a “high” that you can’t ever imagine living such a “low” again.
It’s possible to live this, to own it, to hold it in the palm of your hand. What is God calling YOU to do? What is He preparing you for, even right now, in the midst of today? Maybe no one has told you this before, but you CAN do this thing. You were made for more! You were made for this! You have the power and strength and grace to do this and I believe in you, if no one else does!
I Thessalonians 5:24
“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
God will go before you. Step out. Exhilarating blind faith.
By faith Abraham lifted a knife.
By faith Noah believed it would rain.
By faith Moses headed out.
By faith Joseph sat in a prison cell.
By faith the harlot Rahab believed.
By faith Sarah waited.
By faith Stephani trusted.
Friend, ADD. YOUR. NAME.
See the vision. Have the confidence. Determine to change the course of all you know. Go live the life God intends for you to live! Run with endurance YOUR race. Stop checking the box, stop trying to earn God’s love, stop living in fear, and stop being depressed. Start living a life that no one else can lead but you!
Abraham stopped checking the box and headed out into an unknown wilderness and became the father of the world.
Noah stopped listening to all the nay-sayers that there had never been rain before and became the laughing stock of the town which led to him being the man to start the world over.
Moses stopped living a life of luxury and jumped into the pits, which led to the saving of a nation.
Joseph stopped sulking and started being used in a prison cell to interpret dreams, which allowed him to lead a nation.
Rahab stopped selling herself to believe in the Higher Power and saved her family from death.
Sarah stopped with her unbelief and trusted in God for a child that she always wanted, which led to a dream being fulfilled, and gave birth at 90.
Stephani stopped checking the box, stopped living the same life day in and day out, stopped trying to earn God’s love and headed out on her own journey, which led to the chains that bind being broken off to live a life of exhilarating blind faith.
Are you ready? What’s holding you back? 
Start the summer off right, get out there, and start your “Journey with Abandon”!
Loving with Abandon 