Before You Go - Trusting God in the Unknown

Fear and uncertainty can often overwhelm us during periods of change, but they also present unique opportunities for growth and deeper faith. This episode focuses on exploring those fears, seeking God's wisdom, and embracing the transformative power of trust during transitions.

• Recognizing and confronting your fears
• Seeking true wisdom instead of just approval
• Understanding God's faithfulness in your past
• Building a supportive community to combat isolation
• Taking manageable steps instead of seeking the whole path
• Trusting God's plan and sovereignty amid uncertainty

If you’d like to receive a free PDF copy of the book we discussed, “Before You Go” by Wade Hodges, reach out at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

What if the scariest part of your transition isn't actually where you're going, but it's what you don't know yet? Stepping into the unknown can feel really overwhelming, but it's also where your faith is quite possibly going to grow the most. We're going to talk about that today here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Thanks for joining me. My name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders at chemistrystaffingcom, and today we're going to talk about fear. You know, fear isn't a lack of faith. It's really a natural response to stepping into the unknown and instead of you know, suppressing it or feeling guilty for being anxious.

Speaker 1: 0:47

You know, sit with your fears for a moment. Exactly what are you afraid of? I mean, is it financial? It could be any number of things. It could be financial uncertainty as you make this move. It could be the fear of failure in your new role. It could be worrying about moving and all the logistics and uprooting your family. Naming your fears gives you the ability to bring them honestly before God, and it's really important that you're honest with yourself and don't sugarcoat it. He already knows what's in your heart. And a real gut-level prayer, a real heartfelt prayer, a real vulnerable prayer, is often the beginning of getting some real peace. So here are some things that I think will help you. As you know, we're talking this week about actually going through the transition period, and if you're in this transition period, you've already announced, probably, that you're leaving from your current church. You've already accepted a role, but you're in that in-between time. Here's some things that you can do, and the first it seems like I shouldn't even have to say this, but it's vitally important Seek God's wisdom, not just his approval of your plans, but seek his wisdom.

Speaker 1: 1:59

You know, it's easy to pray for God's guidance when what we really want is his rubber stamp on a decision that we've already made. But trusting God in transition means slowing down and making space to hear from him. Sometimes it means reconsidering what we thought was certain. And seeking his wisdom isn't about waiting for, you know, that flashing neon sign. It's more about really getting into scripture, seeking counsel from wise mentors, paying attention to quiet nudges of the Holy Spirit that don't always align with what feels most comfortable.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Now that you know, you might say, todd, I'm too far down the road for that and that could be. This step might be better, and you should have been doing this, you know, as you were thinking about making the decision. But a lot of times I'll talk to candidates that are considering looking at a position, or churches that are considering hiring someone, and they'll say you know, everything matches up, everything seems right, but I just don't feel like this is what God wants me to do. So really go before God and really ask for his will and not just his rubber stamp, but for him to show you what he wants you to do. So really go before God and really ask for his will and not just his rubber stamp, but for him to show you what he wants you to do. And then, secondly, remember that your story is not over yet. God has been faithful in the past and you have no reason to doubt that he's going to be faithful in the future. You know, the old hymn says great is thy faithfulness, and it's one thing to say God has been faithful before, so he'll be faithful again. But in the middle of uncertainty, that can seem like a really distant truth rather than a present reality. Instead of just waiting, go back and really revisit. Maybe some journal entries, maybe some old prayers, maybe some difficult seasons, where you look back now and you can see how God provided in ways that you didn't expect.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Here's one that I had. We were looking, we had accepted a role as a worship pastor at a church that was about an hour's drive, about an hour and two minutes, if I remember right, 58 minutes. If I really pushed it, it was about an hour away, and we felt like God wanted us to go there. And I still feel like God wanted us to go there, but for some reason, our house wouldn't sell. We so wanted to move into that new community, but we had dozens of showings. We had, I believe, three offers that came in on our house and every one of them fell through and for over a year, for some reason, even though we wanted it so badly, our house didn't sell and things at the church did not end well because there was some hidden sin in the leadership there that God used me. I still think he used me to discover, and I'm doing just what I asked you to do.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Instead of vaguely remembering how God was faithful, I'm being very specific about how God was faithful 20 years ago, at a real vulnerable time in my life, and it was a time when I felt like God, this is what I want, this is what you've called me to and God said I have called you to that, but I'm not going to do this for you. He was working behind the scenes then and guess what? Whatever I'm going through right now, I have to believe. I have to believe that he's doing the exact same thing now. He is working behind the scenes and your past testimony isn't just an encouragement. If you really dive into it and think, man, god has been with me. God was with me at with me. God was with me at that point. He was with me before then, he was with me after that and guess what? He is with me now. It's proof that your story isn't over yet.

Speaker 1: 5:38

The other thing you can do during this time is surround yourself with support, because isolation, if you are an island, it's just going to amplify any of those fears that you have. You know, when we're anxious, when I'm anxious, I tend to withdraw and we tell ourselves you know, nobody gets it, nobody understands what I'm going through. Or, even worse, I don't want to burden, you know, other people with what I'm going through, but here's the reality. Isolation is a breeding ground for doubt. Surrounding yourself with people who both love you and will encourage you and speak truth into your life. It's not just a nice idea. It's really a strategy for survival in seasons of uncertainty and in seasons of change and transition like what you're going through now. Like what you're going through now. Find the people that will remind you of your calling when you start to question it and who will walk with you even when you feel like the path isn't clear or isn't sure. And then the last thing you know take one step at a time. You don't have to see the whole path.

Speaker 1: 6:44

One of the hardest parts of transition is kind of the lie that you tell yourself that you have to have everything figured out before you move forward. But God rarely reveals the whole path. I wish he would, but he doesn't. He rarely reveals the whole path at once. He gives us just enough light for the next step and, instead of obsessing over what's five or ten steps ahead, focus on the obedience that you need to do right now. What's one thing that you know that you need to do today? Maybe it's making a phone call, maybe it's having a conversation.

Speaker 1: 7:16

We've talked about some of those things that you need to do during transition. We've talked about that all this week here on the podcast. Maybe you need to implement some of those things. Maybe you need to start by writing your plan down, like we've talked about. Maybe you just need to take time to rest and pray. But all of those small steps of faith add up to a real journey of trust.

Speaker 1: 7:38

And when it comes to trust and this is hard because there's so much Even if you're excited, you can get really discouraged. Transition is such an exciting and depressing time. It's everything all wrapped up into one. But trusting God is man it's key. You've got to rest in God's sovereignty. It doesn't mean that it's not going to be hard. Trusting God doesn't mean that everything will feel smooth or easy or that you're going to be excited all the time. You're still going to have the feels a lot of times You're still going to be sad, you're still going to cry. It's still a lot of transition.

Speaker 1: 8:16

But sometimes trusting him means embracing the discomfort and uncertainty without demanding that immediate solution. It means recognizing that good and easy aren't always the same thing. So when you rest in God's sovereignty, it really means leaning into the truth that, even if things aren't going according to how you thought it would, nothing is happening outside of his will. So here are your bottom lines for today, or the bottom line for today, and this isn't something you didn't already know but transitions are tough and they're messy and sometimes, even though you're excited about where you're going, they're downright terrifying. There's so many things that need to fall into place, but there's also this is also where the rubber meets the road. It's where faith really becomes real. The unknown isn't a void. It's a space where God does his most transformative work in you. And think about that as you look back, as I look back 20 years at that experience that I just mentioned to you in retrospect.

Speaker 1: 9:17

I didn't feel like this while I was going through it, because I'm like God why aren't you selling this house? Why can't we move up there? I didn't feel like this while I was going through it, because I'm like God why aren't you selling this house? Why can't we move up there? I didn't see it. But God was doing some really transformative work, not only in my ministry, but also in my life and in the life of my family. And trusting him doesn't mean that I need to ignore my fear. It just means acknowledging it, but also means refusing to be controlled by it. It means taking the next step, the right next step, one step at a time, even when you can't see the whole road. So how are you doing? If you're in this, maybe you're like Todd this podcast hit me at a very vulnerable time. I'm right smack dab in the middle of this. Are you facing uncertainties about your move, about maybe a potential move you're thinking about?

Speaker 1: 10:09

I'd love to hear your story, be able to pray with you and hear your story. You can email me at podcast, at chemistrystaffingcom. Every email I read, every email is private and confidential. I don't share it with our team. I don't share it on this podcast. So feel free to reach out. If there's ever any way that I can help you or your church, please reach out to me podcastchemistrystaffingcom. And if it would be helpful for you to get a copy, a free copy, of this book that we've been going through before you go by Wade Hodges, if you'd like a free PDF copy of that book, just reach out to me podcastchemistrystaffingcom. I will send you a copy of that book today.

Speaker 1: 10:47

All right, thanks for spending some time with me today. I hope that's been helpful. Hopefully I've been able to give some advice from somebody who's been through this a time or two. I've seen a few things. I've seen the good and the bad and the ugly. I say that often, but it's actually true. Nothing really surprises me in church ministry anymore. So I'm trying here on the podcast to share some of that experience with you. Remember, trusting God in the unknown during transitions isn't about having all the answers. We don't have all the answers. I wish we did, we wish we did, but honestly it's probably better that we don't. So it's not about all that. It's really about leaning on the one who does have all the answers. Don't get discouraged. Take one step at a time and trust that God's plan is better than anything that we could imagine. All right, take care. I'll see you again here tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Thanks for joining me, you.