Honouring and recognising kairos moments
Do you ever feel like you’re moving, but not actually going anywhere?
Same conversations. Same obstacles. Same inner tug-of-war. You want change, but something keeps you stuck in a rut. Often, it isn’t laziness or lack of desire. It’s fear.
Fear keeps us circling familiar ground. It tells us staying put is safer than stepping forward. We convince ourselves a ‘wait and see’ approach is wiser. Caution feels like obedience.
Sometimes it isn’t.
Sometimes, we miss the kairos.
There are moments when God opens a door that won’t stay open forever. Scripture calls this kairos time, a decisive moment when action matters. Not clock time. Not someday.
But this moment.
A moment when conditions are right.
A moment that asks for movement.
Israel had one of those moments.
When the spies returned from the land God promised, the choice was clear. God wasn’t vague or teasing them. He was ready to lead them forward.
But fear spoke louder than trust.
They focused on risks instead of God’s presence. That choice mattered. One decision led to forty years of wandering. The land remained. The promise stayed. The timing changed.
I read that story and recognize myself.
Years ago, I was invited on a spontaneous road trip to Chicago for a landmark worship gathering drawing people from across North America. A month earlier, I’d felt a clear nudge to renew my expired passport. A fear of lack held me back. When the invitation came, I couldn’t go. My delay meant the door was already closed.
Fear has been a long-standing opponent in my life. I can see moments when God nudged me forward, and I chose not to move.
I used words like wisdom and discernment. Beneath them sat fear of loss, exposure, or failure.
Fear is clever.
It often sounds reasonable.
This is harder because wisdom actually is one of my strengths. That means I must stay honest. Not every pause is discernment. Not every delay is obedience. Sometimes it’s fear applying the brakes.
That’s why I invite trusted friends to speak into my life. They know my patterns. They hear when my language shifts from trust to self-protection. I need that. We all do.
Here’s the good news. God is kind. He’s patient. He doesn’t shame hesitation.
But timing still matters.
Kairos moments don’t pressure us, but they do require a response. When God says, “Let’s go,” He usually doesn’t provide a full plan. He’s asking for trust as we move.
Abram lived this. God told him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, without explaining where he was going. “Go from your country… to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Abram moved with direction, not details.
Yes, God gives second chances.
But sometimes the road between invitations is longer than we expect.
That space isn’t punishment. On this side of the cross, it’s training. It teaches us to spot fear faster and obey sooner. Small steps prepare us for larger ones.
If fear has been loud lately, start here.
Write down times you stepped out while nervous and saw good fruit. Let your own story remind you of God’s faithfulness.
Then name the times you didn’t move. No self-blame. No shame. Just honesty. Bring them to God. Receive forgiveness. Extend it to yourself.
As you do, new invitations will appear. Each obedient step builds expectation for God’s goodness instead of fear of risk.
You don’t have to leap blindly.
You only have to take the next step.
And you won’t be stepping alone.
2025 Katherine Walden
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