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impossible and the life God promised<br />
beyond. Freedom and peace and joy<br />
sound wonderful, but they sound too<br />
good to be true. The truth is, it is hard to<br />
trust God when you’ve been a slave for<br />
so long. There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ with a<br />
God you barely know.<br />
But not in Egypt-we know the hard labor,<br />
and our cruel taskmasters there. We<br />
know exactly what to expect. We’ve lived<br />
in bondage long enough to keep slaving<br />
away forever. We’ve adapted to living<br />
broken. It is familiar, and therefore<br />
seems safer than the unknown. But in<br />
fearing the path forward, faith never<br />
grows, and God’s promise of freedom<br />
remains out of reach.<br />
It is far better to take the leap of faith.<br />
Those who choose the impossible path,<br />
find God has made all things possible<br />
(Luke 1:37)! There is freedom and<br />
rejoicing on the other side of faith! God<br />
not only leads His people safely through,<br />
but He destroys the enemies who pursue<br />
them.<br />
Yes, He asks us to walk through the most<br />
frightening halls of impossibility (like<br />
healing from abuse, letting go of<br />
unending grief, finding freedom from<br />
bitterness, anxiety, and discontent) but<br />
He makes the way easier than we think.<br />
The Israelites crossed through the Red<br />
Sea on dry ground. Imagine how thick<br />
and deep the mud beneath the Red Sea<br />
must have been. There wasn’t time to<br />
wait on the right conditions. There<br />
weren’t months of hot sun to dry up the<br />
sea sludge and mud. But God knew His<br />
people needed safe passage and sure<br />
footing, so God miraculously parted the<br />
sea, and He miraculously hardened the<br />
sea floor!<br />
Many of us believe we can’t go through<br />
the motions and memories required for<br />
us to heal. We can’t endure the pain. We<br />
can’t possibly attempt to change. We’re<br />
just barely holding it together on a daily<br />
basis already. What will happen to our<br />
bodies, our minds, and our souls, when<br />
we dare to face those waves that could<br />
drown us?<br />
Having recently walked through a Red<br />
Sea of my own, I can tell you, I wavered<br />
at the sea’s edge for way too many<br />
years. I was afraid. Afraid I’d get stuck.<br />
Afraid I’d drown in there. But God<br />
walked through those memories and<br />
steps of healing with me. He gave me<br />
the power to forgive, permission to<br />
grieve, and took the sting out of the sins<br />
committed against me and those I<br />
committed against God. He gave me safe<br />
and secure passage just like He did for<br />
the Israelites, and He’ll do the same for<br />
you.<br />
Your feet won't sink in the memories of<br />
despair. The wavs of past pain won't<br />
overthrow you while you're there. God<br />
Himself is walking with you; He is before<br />
11<br />
<strong>NJR</strong> <strong>DIGITAL</strong> <strong>MAGAZINE</strong>
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