When it came to playing board games, or sledding down a hill, or going off the diving board, my best friend and I were always eager to be the one to go first.

We almost always took turns in order to keep things fair, but you can be sure we kept track of whose turn it was.

However, when it came to things like knocking on a grouchy neighbor’s door to collect our paper route money, we were happy to let the other go first. “You go first.” “No, you go first.” “No, you.”

With God in our lives, we never have to worry about who’s going first. As long as we make Him our ultimate focus, we won’t have to worry. God is always ready, willing, and able to go first — to clear the way, make sure it’s safe, and to make sure we have everything we need to deal with no matter what lies ahead, good, bad, or indifferent.

So, don’t be discouraged or afraid of anything. God’s got everything under control. We can count on it.