What’s Holding You Back | Northstar Church

“Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface … Far beneath, in some cases.” – Moana

Moana is one of those movies you can watch over and over no matter how old you are. There is so much to like about this movie: the visuals are stunning, the music is amazing and the story is inspiring. Moana must decide between choosing the path that is safe, comfortable, and secure or following her heart which is pulling her to the sea. It’s here that the conflict behind Moana lies: her family is calling her to do her duty, but her heart pulls her to the open sea.

When Grandmother Talla falls deathly ill, she reminds Moana that the ocean chose her by giving her the heart of Te’ Fiti. Her mission? To find Maui, sail him across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti. Moana doesn’t know how to sail—but she doesn’t let that stop her, although it does cause difficulties as we watch Moana continually tip her canoe. She did not let the fear of lack of experience hold her back, or having her wishes answered in a way she didn’t expect.

If people waited until they had the experience to embark on something, our world would be completely different today. If tech moguls had let lack of experience of making computers, machines, phones keep them from pursuing their dreams, we would not be able to do what we do today. The point is that you may not know everything you need to, but should that stop you from pursuing the purpose God has for your life.

Since the day a Christian surrenders their heart to God, God has a plan for that individual. And not just any plan, but a good plan. As we begin to seek out that purpose barriers inevitably pop up. One of those is fear. While trying to discover the purpose God has for us, we typically flesh out the ifs, ands, and buts; in other words, trying to plot out the variables and the possibilities while waiting for God to show us the way. We wonder whether “ this the best option God has for me? Is this the right path?” We are frozen with fear. And in the middle of that fear, we lose sight of the very purpose that God calls us to. As Moana found out the road ahead can be bumpy. But every obstacle, every seemingly endless ocean placed in front of us has a purpose. Although we may never know what God has in store for us, we can believe that there is a reason for every one of them.

The wonderful thing to remember in all of our decisions is that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He will never leave us or forsake us. And someday, if we truly seek to love Him and trust Him, we will see that He really was leading us through the confusing terrain of His will all along.

Don’t spend so long looking for a perfect plan that you fail to take action and live out God’s purpose now. Take a risk, walk through an open door and place your heart in God’s hands. Live fully for Him in whatever you do and you will be living out your purpose.

Discussion Questions:

Can fear of failure be paralyzing and motivating? Why or why not?
Living in fear keeps us from experiencing our God-given potential. Agree or disagree and why?
What step do you need to take this week to deal with any fears?