"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

March 26 is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. It is a day to choose a thing, person, animal, phrase, or food and create a holiday to celebrate it.

If I made up a holiday I would create National Try Something New Day. I would celebrate it on July 1st because it is half way through the year (seems like a good time to try something new) and it is summer (hopefully nice weather that allows lots of options). The point of the holiday is to get out and try something new or use the day to decide on something you would like to try in the future.  Getting out, trying new things, meeting new people. These all seem like they could lead to wonderful adventures. These can also become things that humans easily avoid, falling into a comfort zone of routine and safe space. Although it feels safe, staying in the comfort of the known can be problematic. Meeting new people, trying new things, doing things in a new way, stepping out of our comfort zone - these are all things that make us better friends, better neighbors and better humans. 

God often guides people to try new things and interact with new people, leading us to make new connections. The Bible is full of people who leave their comfort zone experiencing new adventures and new lives.  Sometimes the nudge is communicated by having an angel standing in front of them explaining the situation, sometimes it's a voice from God or a dream, sometimes it's a voice coming from inside them - nudging them to move in a new direction. No matter what they are called to do and why they are called to do it they (almost) always say yes (eventually).

I often think about what I would do if tasked with things that are asked of people in the Bible. Would I have the courage to stand before Pharaoh (like Moses)?  Would I try to take on Goliath (like David)? Would I spread God’s message to scary places where I believed I wasn’t welcomed (like Jonah)?  Maybe. Luckily the nudges that I have received by God to move in new directions have been far less stressful and scary than many journeys in the Bible.

I wonder if there were others in the times of the Bible who were asked but said no. Are there people that lived that did not answer the call to try something new and therefore did not make it into the stories of God’s people? Are the characters in the Bible the only ones who God tried to connect with or are there a bunch who ignored the nudge, or didn’t believe they were worthy of the mission?

I believe we are all worthy of whatever new things God is placing in front of us and calling us to do, even if it seems scary or uncomfortable. God is everywhere, even in the new and unknown.