Just over a decade ago, my husband and I felt called by God to do something we couldn’t achieve on our own. My spiritual director advised me, “God doesn’t often invite you to completely step out in faith. You should take the opportunity.”

Thankfully, we did—and that decision has born tremendous fruit. The question had been that God seemed to be calling us to send our oldest child to a Catholic high school thirty-five minutes from our home that cost more than we could afford. We thought that maybe I could return to work part-time after more than fourteen years of staying home with our children and working as a freelance writer, but beyond that, all we had was faith in God, a strong sense that this is what He was asking of us, and the desire to grow in trust of Him.

We moved forward in faith, and a few months later, I was hired as Renewal Ministries’ editor.

Today, four of our children have graduated from that high school. I am extremely grateful for the gift of their education and Catholic high school experiences, but don’t get me wrong—they each faced bumps in the road. Life continued to be life, with heartbreaks, health concerns, and fervent prayers offered to God that He answered in his time, not ours.

Thankfully, through our yes to God’s will for our family, the Lord also brought many joys and opened amazing doors. We have had experiences, met people, and been brought into a depth of faith that I don’t know if we could have otherwise experienced. Nevertheless, the greatest blessing has been learning to walk with God, in faith, one step at a time.

Recently, the Lord asked me to step out of the boat once again, to leave Renewal Ministries to work at my parish. I have learned that when the Lord calls, we should not expect a path free from challenges. I’ve also learned, however, that in those moments, I can trust Him to reach out his hand and say in the most loving and gentle of voices, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear” (Mt 14:27).

If the Lord has been placing a question on your heart, asking if you, too, would step out of the boat, I encourage you: “God doesn’t often invite you to completely step out in faith. You should take the opportunity.”