What's in the number 40?

40... the only number whose letters are in alphabetical order.

40...atomic number of zirconium.

40...number worn by Shawn Kemp (beginning to show my age)

We are now 40 days out from our trip. That's the same amount of days we are hoping to make our cross-country trek, if all goes as planned. So if we were to begin today, we would be leaving San Francisco and heading to Folsom, CA. A relatively easy ride, no elevation changes, weather might be a little chilly but other than that we should be fine. 

     Thinking about starting the ride is a little nerve racking but incredibly exciting. The excitement comes from not really knowing many things....how my body is going to respond, who we will meet, are we going to have enough money to eat (that's a big one!)..etc. For me, when I start things it's exciting. New places, new faces, new ideas, it's refreshing for me. I love the idea of a new challenge, a new obstacle to overcome. 

     Just starting though is tough for me. It's hard to commit and say yes, and actually START. We all have dreams but sometimes I keep them at that...a dream. Starting to walk takes faith and that's what Jesus desires for my life. He wants us to abandon our dreams of we think WE can do  and trust in what HE can do....that's tough. One reason I think is because we dream to small. We will have the opportunity to look back and see what we've done and what we've built but it will be just that...our thumbprint on things.

     There are numerous times in the bible that mention people who exemplified faith, one I like is Peter. Common story of Jesus walking on water and Peter gets out of the boat. He begins to sink and cries out to Jesus. Jesus responds by saving Peter from drowning. I believe that's what Jesus wants from us, unconditional surrender knowing that the only thing that will keep us going is Jesus. If we get out of the boat and walk on water, Jesus gets the glory, if we stay in the boat and survive, we get the glory.

 

We can't experience what it's like to drown while sitting in the boat.

Just start.

"2/3 of the battle is won just by getting to the start line."