During a time when churches are closing their doors in great numbers, God called my husband to plant a church. Knowing that doubt is a procrastination tool, Rob and I mustered the motivation to overcome doubt and to daily practice truth through discipline and commitment.

This is my fourth post in my series on church planting. I hope it will encourage you in fulfilling your life’s purpose.

Last month was our launch when God pitched us our dream. Case studies led us to believe there would be overnight success. Wrong. We didn’t hit it out of the park, but we did make it safely to first base. Launch Sunday brought a nice showing of family, friends, and most importantly, some new faces. This was followed by two more weeks of the same. Then came week four. Where did everybody go? Week five: cancellation due to snow storm. We were loosing momentum. My imagination ran wild and I feared we reached an impasse. (Doubt wants us to believe we misinterpreted the call and that our efforts are worthless.)

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” ~Galatians 6:9

Doubt hates commitment, and Rob and I refused to curl up and die. We have discovered that there is no silver bullet, only the incremental growth of an indomitable spirit. Let’s be reasonable: One week of low attendance does not immediately signal failure. We tried to be kind to ourselves while sticking to the plan. We continue to carry on with full consideration of how much this church matters. If we didn’t believe the gospel was worth sharing, why would we bother?

Now I’d be lying to you if I told you that I don’t fear failure or embarrassment. God tells us numerous times in His Word not to fear. Sure, God. That’s easy for you to say. Sometimes you just have to obey God while afraid.

Has doubt or fear sabotaged your life’s call? Perhaps you started out on a venture with the best of intentions, but your resolution fizzled out and your zeal slowly faded. Friend, don’t let anything become between you and your life’s call. Remember, it always gets worse before it gets better. Correct your wrongs and press on. Be brave. Make it happen. May God give you the grace to endure… and to persevere!