Boldly go where no one has gone before….
The actor William Shatner who spoke these words as Captain James T Kirk in the Star Trek TV series has himself boldly gone where very few have one before by making a trip up into Space in Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule courtesy of Jeff Bezos.
Very few of us will have that some opportunity to go up into space but day by day, week by week we have opportunities to boldly go where no one has gone before. As Christians we are called into relationship with God and invited to be part of the Kingdom of God, to incarnate the presence of God in the communities we inhabit.
As we learn to listen to the Spirit of God, we will get an inkling of the life that we are called to live, the ‘good works that are prepared beforehand for us to do’ (Ephesians 2: 10). There are unique ways that we can demonstrate to those around us the presence of God. Not just by sharing our faith but by doing things that demonstrate our trust in God, our love for God.
There will be times when we have the sense that God is calling us to boldly go – not necessarily with a big fanfare as the Space Ship enterprise but in a quiet unassuming way to see a need and to have the courage to fulfil what we believe God is calling us to do.
When I was younger, we used to sing a chorus with the following words:
Be bold, be strong,
For the Lord your God is with you,
I am not afraid,
I am not dismayed,
Because I’m walking in faith and victory,
For the Lord your God is with you.
This was a song I and other young Christians sang to each other to encourage ourselves to trust in the Lord and to take that step into the unknown in our walk with the Lord. There are many examples in the Bible of men and women who boldly went during their daily lives. When I sing this chorus the Old Testament character Joshua comes to mind and the way he was encouraged to be strong and courageous (or brave) as he took over from Moses and lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land.
Our opportunities to ‘boldly go’ can be such things as reaching out to others – to offer help, ask for help, to encourage, to sit down and get to know them. We can feel daunted and unequal to making the first move, but God wants to enable us and equip us to open our hearts to others, to listen to them, to help, to be a friend, to show God’s love in a difficult situation or to try and right a wrong. Whatever it is – a large or small matter – God wants to enable us to ‘boldly go’ and be his emissary, his presence in the mess and busyness of our daily lives.
Let’s ask the Lord where he wants us to ‘boldly go’ and believe that he will give us the words to speak, the courage to act in a way that brings life and light to the lives of those around us. Little things count and remember that we are often called to do small acts rather than big dramatic things. Small acts that demonstrate the presence of God to our communities.
May the Lord bless and direct us as we ‘boldly go’ in the days and weeks ahead.
Ros