So if you have a similar hunch…let me give you my notes from the wilderness:
1. Expect resistance. Actually, more like upheaval. While to the world, IF is nothing but a success, behind the scenes in the first year, we endured more conflict and difficult conversations than one should have in a lifetime.
2. Embrace the fear. Quit looking for footprints to follow. At first, it is paralyzing to head into the wild. Learn to differentiate between the anxiety you feel when you are doing the wrong thing and the good butterflies you feel when you are braving new territory.
3. Give up on maps. There is not a right way to pioneer new territory. It is a step-by-step journey, completely dependent on God, who usually only gives you the next step. I still crave a map and a guide, but I am learning to lean into the Spirit and God’s Word when I feel alone and lost—and He has yet to forsake me. But do seek the counsel of those pioneers who have cut through the wilderness before. Their remarkable bravery can inspire the strength you need to take new steps.
4. Don’t make a god out of being a rebel. Nothing stays new. So as soon as you think you are cutting a new path and people follow, the paving crew comes behind and turns your hipster little path into a six-lane highway. Let following Jesus be your goal, not being a contrarian. Because in itself, there is nothing special about wilderness paths. It’s the enjoyment of the God you love and the people who meet Jesus that makes it all mean something. Don’t lose sight of the point.
As IF grows, my greatest temptation will continue to be to conform, pave the road and choose an easier path, rather than the unknowns of a life without maps and plans. God protect me, and let Yours be the only voice we hear whether we find ourselves on highways or overgrown paths.
What wild, new paths is God calling you to build and pioneer? What is stopping you?
