The dove's journey: trusting in the unknown

In my last post, I wrote that I was longing for something new — something I didn't have, and wasn't even sure how to get.

That longing has led me to sit at the feet of Jesus and seek His face for what's next. And lately, He has been showing me the end of Noah's story — the part where the ark is still full of animals and Noah is sending out the dove.

6 After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. — Genesis 8:6–12

When I prayed about this, I felt like the dove represented me — and the Holy Spirit inside me — being gently sent out by the Lord in search of what's next, of what He has for me.

In this story, I feel like God is represented by Noah. In Hebrew, the name Noah means rest. He is the one who holds the dove, sends it out, and draws it back to himself. He is the rest the dove always returns to.

The scary part is that the dove ventures out into this vastness, this wide open expanse, not really knowing where it's going. All it knows is that it's looking for signs of life. I think that takes so much courage — and so much trust in the One who sent it.

I also found myself wondering: did the dove feel like it had failed when it returned those first two times empty-handed? How weary must it have been, flying around for who knows how long, searching and coming back with nothing?

And yet it kept going out.

From a young age, I have felt called to missions — to go out and share the love of God, the promises He has made, and the faithfulness He has shown me in my own life. And I feel like the Lord is using this image to speak to me in an in-between season, calling me toward exactly that. To venture off in search of life, even without a clear destination.

Honestly, the thought of being released from my Father's hand brings tears to my eyes. Since being saved, I have rarely dared to enter into anything I didn't specifically feel Him calling me to. I still got it wrong sometimes — and there were moments I pursued things that weren't best for me — but my heart's desire was always to obey Him. More than that, I didn't trust myself with decisions. So I waited. I always waited for clear direction before I moved.

But God has been pushing me more and more to step out in faith without having all the answers first. Like a good coach, I believe He desires to no longer call every play from the sidelines — trusting that the time we've spent together, the daily practice, the lessons, the diligent training, has formed in me a deep knowing of what to do on the field. And beyond that, I have the Holy Spirit inside me to lead and guide me even when I can't hear my Coach's voice anymore.

The dove didn't know where it was going. It didn't have a map or a plan. It just opened its wings and went — because the one who sent it was trustworthy.

I want to be that brave.