Today my life will drastically change.

I’ve been waiting for this day for two years and now that it’s finally here I am stunned. This day of transition feels unreal; numb. I’m elated and yet completely out of my element.

I’m 24 years old and I still feel 18. But unlike when I was 18, now I’m sure of the world and my place in it.

Whenever I being to think, “What in the world have I gotten myself into?” I immediately remember January 18th, 2013—the day God revealed that South Africa was part of His plan for my life—and I know I couldn’t be doing anything else.

I accepted Christ when I was 6 and dedicated my life to the Lord on the mission field at 17. Every year I have given to Him but day to day distractions have too often come in the way.

I pray that this year will be different. I pray He takes a hold of my life in a way I’ve never experienced before.

I want this year to change me—completely.

Over the past two years God has shown me that there is a huge deficit in my trust of Him. He’s demonstrated His unconditional and faithful love and grace toward me. He’s proven His complete dominance and sovereignty again and again and again.

We’ve been working through quite a lot together and it has been downright painful more times than not but I’m so thankful for His patience and endurance.

When I think about how He will challenge me this year my stomach drops.

I don’t know if the past year was the hardest of my life or if it will be the next but, either way, this coming year is going to be monumental.

Just because this year is God’s will doesn’t mean it will be void of distractions or pain. I truly have no idea what I am getting myself into.

In the book, A Man Called Blessed, by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright, the character of Caleb equates faith and love to the action of jumping off a cliff.

“True love is found by stepping off the cliff…faith and love are bound together inseparably. If you don’t truly believe, you can’t truly love. If you don’t love, you can’t truly believe. Each is required for the other.”

“So if you don’t have belief, how are you expected to find love?”

“By doing the one thing man can do. By stepping off the cliff. When you step off the cliff, you learn very quickly to love the one who catches you.”

I absolutely love this analogy. It’s such a beautiful picture of what complete trust in God looks like in human terms. Stepping off a cliff goes against our basic survival instincts, it doesn’t come naturally.

This year is one of my cliffs. I’m afraid of the terror of the fall but confident in the One who has promised to catch me.

Today I step off this cliff by stepping on that plane.

Here goes nothing.