Finding Your Footing in Uncertain Circumstances, Guest Post by Katie M. Reid

Katie and I first became acquainted when I began writing this blog in January 2015. We were both fairly new to the world of blogging and quickly became writer friends! In the past few years, we have written guest posts for one another and exchanged encouragements along the writing journey. I am pleased to introduce you to my friend, Katie as her first book baby enters the world! Katie’s first book, Made Like Martha, launches today and I couldn’t be happier for her! Join me in welcoming Katie M. Reid to the blog. Happy launch day, Katie!

Finding Your Footing in Uncertain Circumstances, Guest Post by Katie M. Reid

I do not like treading water.

In middle school gym class, we had to tread water for twenty minutes. It felt like an eternity. On several occasions, I experienced leg cramps while treading in the deep end. Panic set in; I felt like I might go under.

I am also not a fan of the sloping incline between the shallow end and the deep end. I almost drowned in that place once.

When I was in elementary school, we were swimming at our neighbor’s pool. A father urged his son to jump off the diving board; his son was resistant. Eventually the son jumped in, but once he surfaced, he bobbed under the water.

I tried to rescue the frantic swimmer, but as I reached for him, my feet slid down the ramp into the deep end. I had to start swimming instead of standing where it was safe.

The boy wrapped his arms around my neck in a choke hold. I bobbed near the surface but couldn’t get a breath because of his death grip. I had no voice to cry for help. I willed someone to realize what was happening and intervene. Just in time, the boy’s father jumped in and rescued me.

Stepping Off Shore  

About a year into my writing career, I was faced with another kind of treading. I had submitted a book proposal to editors and was waiting for their responses.

I felt uncertain about what I might encounter in that place between the familiar and the unknown. That middle place of vulnerability, where your feet can’t touch, is the place in which I found myself as fears surfaced.

Would I be able to manage both a family and a career?

Would I remain afloat amid projects and podiums?

Would there be an undertow of turmoil along this path?

I convinced myself I should probably return to the safety of shore because treading felt too risky—too many “what ifs” congregated in unchartered waters, ready to feast on flesh. And I didn’t want to become a casualty in the murky deep.

I confessed my fears to a friend. Thankfully, she grounded me with truth, “God has clearly led you to this point, it would be foolish to let the ‘what ifs’ keep you from proceeding. This place you find yourself in will keep you dependent on Him and not your own strength.”

I was afraid of not knowing how it would all turn out, or drowning under the weight of it all. I wanted some assurance of solid ground—sure footing in the deep.

Then God uncovered a key truth I had missed…

I thought my survival was dependent on the power I could muster to keep myself above water. I had forgotten that He doesn’t leave us to fend for ourselves in the midst of wind and waves. He created them, can walk on them, and is more than able to help us navigate them. He doesn’t wave from shore and wish us luck. He doesn’t turn His back when we misstep.

Not only is He with us, but He is able to make a way for us to stand on level ground, even in the middle of the sea of uncertainty.

Being over our heads can be the exact place where God breaks through.

Into the Sea

But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. (Exodus 14:29, GNT)

We are not alone when we tread, because Jesus resides in us. He is able to provide a firm place to stand as we walk through the sea of adverse circumstances.

His techniques might look different than expected, but they are designed to bring Him unmistakable glory.

God made a way through the Red Sea, to save His people from the pursuit of a harsh ruler (see Exodus 14). And He made a way for us through the red blood of Christ, to save us from slavery to sin. He makes a way for us when we find ourselves capsized by circumstances.

We can’t control where the waves of this faith journey will take us but we can trust the One who formed the waters.

At just the right time the Father stepped in to rescue those drowning in sin—every one of us. He sent His Son to plunge into the deep, to save us from permanently going under.

God did not leave us helpless. He saw the state we were in and with His strong arm, He rescued us. He provided the solid ground of His Son for us. God made a way for our deliverance.

If we choose to believe in Jesus and receive Him as our Savior, we don’t tread alone.

Purchase Katie’s new book, Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman who Gets Things Done and discover the goodness of our Heavenly Father and His ability to take such good care of us. This book contains a 5-week bonus bible study for individuals and small groups.