By Nicole Carson

“Where are you going to college?” was a pretty frequent question I got asked my senior year of high school. And it happened to be my least favorite question because I did not have an answer! I had no clue where I wanted to go.

I knew I wanted to continue dancing, but I also wanted to get an education so I could be an elementary teacher. Sadly, there are few colleges that offer prestigious ballet training and encourage another major. I also knew I did not want to be far away from my family. Therefore, I decided to stay within my comfort zone and settle for colleges with mediocre dance programs only within a few hours of my home in Olympia, Washington.

One night at church my friend asked me where I was applying. I listed through my options and after I finished she replied, “You don’t seem very excited about those… where do you REALLY want to go?” I smirked, a little embarrassed for getting called out and then thought about the top few dance schools in the U.S. that I would love to be apart of. I told her my choices but ended with, “Except they’re really far away so…”

I was allowing fear to take complete control of my decisions.

After hearing what my friend said, I was so convicted and spent a lot of time in prayer about what I should do. With the help of my supportive parents I decided to audition for those dream schools. I had to decide if I really wanted to take that big step of faith and go across the country somewhere.

I remember being in worship one night when a song written by Mackenzie Crabbe started. I began to sing…
“Take me where I’ve never been.
Take me where I’m scared to go.”
If I am asking God to take me to a place in my life where I have never been, and am asking God to put me in a position where I need full dependence on Him, then I need to know He’s going to take me there.

I began to ask myself what having faith really means. Hebrews 11:8 says, “It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going”.

Would you be willing to follow God if you didn’t even know where you were going? Not knowing how the logistics would be taken care of, could you trust that He would fully provide?

I believe having faith does not just require belief in God. Faith requires commitment, action and risks. When we pray, “God show me what I’m supposed to do” or “Reveal the next step of my life to me,” we often wait and wait for Him to answer us and show us a clear picture of our future. However, what if God is waiting for us to take the first step? What if He cannot push us toward our future until we take the step that will allow Him to show us His glory and His aligning plans.

After lots of prayer and discussion, I decided to commit to Southern Methodist University. Although I was nervous, I was willing to take that step because the Lord gave me complete peace about my decision.

About two weeks later, my parents explained to me that my dad’s job was orchestrating some changes so he would no longer be centered in Washington. That was when they told my family we were moving.

Where do we end up moving? Dallas, Texas… only 45 minutes away from where I would be going to school.

It amazes me time and time again that because I was obedient and took a risk by committing to a place so far away from my family, God has blessed me by moving them right where I am.

I challenge you today to look at your life. Would you take a risk that seems impossible to man? Would you make a decision that is so big God has to intervene for it to work out? If Jesus called, would you be willing to jump off a boat into a roaring sea and walk on water?

Take an audacious step of faith so God can do something powerful.