It’s time for another leap of faith. My whole life I have tried to live in faith, and it has required me to take many leaps of faith in the past. The first and biggest step of faith was to put my trust in Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him. I have never looked back, and He has never let me down. It was a big leap of faith to come to Cambridge with my new bride, a city that neither of us had any ties with, no jobs, no money, no home, and yet God came through for us and helped us build our lives here. I’ve taken steps of faith in grand adventures and big fundraising initiatives, and each time God has come through for me.
It was a leap of faith to ever start putting my writing out there, risking rejection and the chance that others might not like it. It was a leap of faith to set up my World of Astrom Facebook fan page, not knowing how it would be received or what people might think. But you can’t live your life afraid of what people might think. I made a decision long ago to take decisions in faith, not fear, and however imperfectly I might live up to that it remains my guiding principle. Looking back, I can see and testify to God’s faithfulness at every turn. Like Joshua, I can say that not one of God’s promises to me has failed – every one was fulfilled (Joshua 21:45).
But now it’s time for another leap of faith.
The news that my book was going to get published was a dream come true, a tremendous breakthrough that I’ve been waiting for all my life. I’ve been over the moon ever since. But, gradually, as it starts to sink in, I’m beginning to realise other things too. I’m actually going to have to do this. I’m going to have to publish my book and set it in print. No turning back, no more changing it.
This raises a whole series of doubts, questions and fears. What if people don’t like it? What if people don’t buy the book? What if it gets bad reviews? What if it flops? What if it doesn’t lead to the full-time writing career that I want. What if, what if, what if…
Those are questions that could hold me back, fears which could define my existence for the next few years. Am I daunted? Yes. Am I going to let it hold me back? No.
I’m going to have to make myself vulnerable, opening up an intensely private part of myself and share the creative work that I’ve put my heart and soul into. I’m trusting that God will bless it and make it work. I wrote recently of my conviction that God asks us to give Him the little we have and watch Him do something amazing with it. That keeps coming back to me now when I need it most: I’m going to give Him the little that I have and trust Him to do something amazing with it. I’ve got a little bit of talent, a little bit of faith, a little fan-base and a small publisher. I’m going to put it all in God’s hands.
I’m doing the what and I’m leaving the how to Him. How will an unknown writer break through? How will a first-time novel become a bestseller? How do I achieve cut-through in a crowded marketplace? I don’t know. But I’m trusting that He does. He gave me this ability, He gave me these stories to write, so He can put them in front of the people who need to read them.
So, you see, it’s a leap of faith. It would be easy to think that I’ve done the hardest part – finding a publisher, signing a contract – and in a way that’s true, it’s the incredibly difficult first step – but it’s only a first step. Other steps follow, each one of them a step of faith. Now I have to pursue this with everything I’ve got and see where it goes.
The journey is only just beginning, and far from being over, the requirement for faith on my part is only going to grow. So, I’m being vulnerable, I’m sharing my doubts and my dreams, and I’m going to trust God. I know how hard this is going to be, how big the risk of failure, but I’m going to do it anyway.
I’d love you to join me on this journey, because I need a lot of help from a lot of people. That’s all part of God’s plan and God’s provision. I need people to pray for me, to encourage me and to help spread the word. I need people to buy my book, review my book and tells others about it.
It’s time for another leap of faith. Are you with me?
World of Astrom 