Grace in the Overwhelm

Sometimes I get overwhelmed.

I may have even had a slight meltdown this evening from the seemingly enormous world troubles, coupled with general adult/life/parenting struggles. There is no mistaking that many things and even people in this world are freaking out right now.

I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and went for a walk.

1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 

So, I’m hiking down our dirt road, near tears, my heart bleeding for this world, this life.  Just pouring my heart out to God.

As I bring my eyes up from the dirt I see a sky streaked with magnificent color, trees stretching tall, sharing subtle previews of the change in season and array of colors yet to come. I see crops green and lush, or tinted with gold, rustling gently in the breeze. Further on, I hear a twig snap amongst the trees. Likely the family of deer that frequents these fields in the evening. Pausing, waiting for me to continue my journey across their path. I see geese flying, honking there message to change the leader. And the odd cow or bull bellowing in the background (everyone has cows around here.) Anyway, what I don’t have is the noise from media, or the drama from the day.

In the soft whisper of the breeze, I begin to hear my own true thoughts for, I think the first time today. And also that gentle Holy whisper reminding me that while the problems of this world are big, my God is bigger. I should let him handle the roar of the nations. But what my role is, where I should put my focus, is on the lives and places nearest to me. The place I call home, the people I have as friends and family. The things I can see, touch, feel, reach.  I can do this in faith, knowing somewhere nearby, someone else is doing the same. And so is someone just beyond them. It will never be perfect, it may not even change anything. But, when my concern is more centered on my sphere of influence, and then the rest laid in the hands of God, the overwhelm melts and the peace that surpasses all understanding can reign once again. And for that I know I, (but also my family) will be grateful.

I don’t know if this is helpful to you, but it is where I am finding peace this evening.

 

 

[Original Post by Rita Gleason from her personal blog “Little House in Michigan” September 19, 2017]

I’m Not Alone in This Boat

I know we all have seasons in our lives that feel like we are moving from one storm to another. Quite honestly if someone asked me what the last year and a half has been like. I would say horrible. I’m not just talking little thunder claps. I have felt like we have lived in one big hurricane! 

I’m not going to go into all the details, though I did write about this once on our other blog.

 

And here we are again, coming out of that storm and into what appears to be another right on the horizon. I learned before about the faithfulness of God in the midst of challenges we face. I appreciate that I can claim Romans: 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I know storms are a part of life. Part of our existence in this imperfect fallen world.

 But, I can’t help but admit that this transition, this new storm, has also taken its toll on me both Emotionally and Spiritually. We are yet another cross country move later, facing  a whole host of challenges that an expanding family faces when they leave their familiar surroundings. And I can’t help but wonder why things are just as hard as before? Albeit in different ways, but still very hard. I was beginning to doubt this was the path God wanted us to take after all. But, of course that is what the enemy wants us to do isn’t it? Doubt.

One major blessing down here comes in the form of a radio station, who happens to play sermons by David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Community Church nearly every evening as I cook dinner. I cannot help but believe it is no accident that lately he seems to be speaking  about things which are extremely applicable to our lives right now. One message in particular high-lighted a passage of scripture I had already been meditating on.

   It is Mark 4:35-41
The heading in my bible reads:
Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

Now, commonly when I read this particular passage I notice two things. One, the disciples were in a storm, and they cried out to Jesus to save them.  And Jesus had mercy on their poor scared souls and calmed the storm. (Check, I have been doing that for months it seems. And he is faithful to either bring the storms in my life to an end for however brief a time or see me through them.)
The second thing that always strikes me is that Jesus didn’t stop the storm until they asked. I know I always try to manage for a while in my own strength before I break down in desperation and ask for Gods help. I don’t know why, but I do…Yes, I am working on that.

 

But in that period of time when I’m trying to figure things out I always have these nagging wonderings. Why me? Hey, I’m human, and I wonder sometimes why. The last two years especially. So, much has happened that made me sure we were walking in Gods will, and we have received so much blessing. 
Only to have what seemed like the polar opposite happen next. Beginning with our unexpected move back to Michigan, and an extremely hard year that followed, and ending in my husband, injured and unable to do the work he had always done there. Talk about a scary storm. Yet, God never left us, He faithfully healed Kyle and provided a new job albeit 900 miles from Michigan and again He worked out every detail.
And so we moved, yet still even with that storm behind me I feel like we are in a whole other storm. This one not as severe, but still I would love to catch my breath for just a moment. 
 I confess its in these moments when I’m trying to breath from one storm to another that I always feel the most confused. Along with the why question, I find myself wondering… Did we navigate that last storm right? Did we obey and follow the path God presented? I think I prayed it through, didn’t I? I was listening, wasn’t I? Did we make a mistake, because it sure looks like another storm is brewing? Or is this the same storm? 
I could go on, but I don’t think it is necessary, you get the idea. I have doubts sometimes…(now here I just hope I’m not the only person who has ever asked such questions.)


So, were does that leave things? Oh yes. So the other day I was mulling over this particular scripture in Mark when this sermon comes on. And answered my most burning question of the day. Which was: Did we really follow Gods leading to come down here? And do you know what I heard and realized? Jesus said to the disciples:  “Let us go over to the other side.”

I cant believe I missed this all along. Jesus said to go. Now what happens next is just as important. “³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.”
The “they” being the disciples took Jesus and left.
They didn’t hesitate or mull around the weather conditions. They went as directed with Jesus and STILL they found themselves in the midst of a storm.

(I know this may be elementary for most of you, but gosh was this awfully significant for me.)

Even when we are living in Gods will we can still find ourselves in some stormy waters. 

And while this is significant what happens next is even more important.
^“36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him [Jesus] along, just as he was, in the boat.”  Jesus was in the boat. AND he was even comfy enough to take a nap!


Now we all know the little scolding he gave the disciples for lacking in faith. After all He the Son of God did say, lets go to the other side, which would imply that they would get there. But I think it is also important to note that he still had understanding for them. and calmed the waters.
And even in the midst of our current life storms, I can honestly say I do feel the waters calming. I will admit though, just a week ago I was hitting my knees crying to God the, “Are you going to let us drown?” prayer.

I thank the Lord that he sent this reminder, that He is in my boat and my family’s boats as well (see vs. 36 “There were also other boats with him.”) and we will get to the other side. 

Yes, there will be more storms, but I hope and pray I will approach the next one with a little more faith. Maybe, maybe not, but I think I’ve got the concept rolling.

My prayer: Lord, I pray this post blesses someone as learning this lesson has surely blessed me. Thank you for being in my boat. -Amen.

 

[Original Post by Rita Gleason from her personal blog Gleason’s Go West May 5, 2012]

On Gratitude

I find gratitude to be hard found lately. We’re busy, circumstances are hard, life seems to continually throw a curve ball. But this is not the existence/mindset meant for us. I just don’t believe it!

It’s all about Perspective. I think Holocost Survivor Corrie Ten Boom said it best:

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.”

God IS good. God DOES have a plan. Hurt, grief, hardship are a part of life. But facing these impossibilities with a heart full of gratitude, makes the hard small, and the love of our God big!
So, today let us be grateful we never have to walk the hard parts of life alone. Thank you God for being there every step of the way.

 

Blessings,
~Rita

Uncommon God

What do you think about when you think of God?

Do you think of Authority? Holiness? Loving?

What about the fact that he is UNcommon?

This idea of God being uncommon was shared with me recently and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

I’ve been reading the Sermon on the Mount for almost a year now. I can’t seem to get away from it. Every time I read it, it’s like Jesus himself jumps off the page and begins speaking directly to my life.
A while ago I began sharing some of what I’ve been learning, but then I got stuck.

The fact is I feel so inadequate to expound on what Jesus said so well himself. However, this passage of Scripture is so powerful I hope Every one of you will open your Bibles and take it in!

Need the Reference again? It’s Matthew Chapter 5 through Chapter 7.

In every nook and cranny Christ declares his authority. He teaches the people, and He responds to their most frequently asked questions.

How much love is that? How much love is it that God himself came down to our level to teach us the most basic principles of his plan to restore fellowship with his creation?

How much love is it, that even after he sent prophet after prophet, that even after his people turned their back on him again and again, he still… I said, HE STILL came down to us and put an arm around us. He took on our flesh, he walked in our shoes, he made sure he understood every facet of what a human life entails, and he taught us how to fellowship with him.

Does that even sink in?

Who does that?

We certainly don’t do that for each other very well. Then again, we are common.

We have this commonality to tear one another down. We have this commonality to turn our backs on each other. Even those we love dearly. We have this commonality to loose our patience and react in anger. We have this commonality to want to preserve ourselves or put ourselves above another. We have this commonality to sin in a myriad of different ways.

But, God…

God is NOT common.

His son Jesus showed us just how uncommon by coming to this earth, not to toss the principals and demolish the law he so carefully laid out for us, but to fulfill the hope and restore the relationship.

He came to restore us. Not turn his back on us.

He came to invite us into an uncommon relationship with him. A relationship that is so different than the most common ideals of the world. A relationship that frees us from the chains of  worldly conformity. 

How great is it we have such an UN-common God?!

 

Blessings,

~Rita

Innocent

Reference John chapters 18-20

Seven times he questioned and sought for his release.

Seven times he found no fault in him.

Pilate the Governor for Rome held in his hands the life of the Messiah.

Today is known as Good Friday. But while the outcome is good. Today is a day to remember the tragic nature for which we obtain Salvation.

To be quite honest. I don’t like reading about the crucifixion of my dear Savior. I don’t like to dwell on the horrific and barbaric nature of his death. But, it is this time of year I am drawn to the passages of scripture that depict in detail the events of his death.

And that is good. I need to remember.

I need to remember, because it wasn’t just the sins of those before him, it was my sin that put him there.

Can you imagine the throng shouting “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

I wonder, would I be one of them?

I want to tell myself no. Certainly I would be one of the women weeping for him, wouldn’t I ?

But… what if there was a chance?

Because, for all my good intentions, for all my attempts to do the right things. I still fall short. I still miss him.

When Jesus sat before the Sanhedrin they asked him if he was the Messiah. He said, “I am…” And they missed him! The most religious and educated men of the day, the ones on watch for the Messiah were too wrapped up in their “calling” to see the TRUTH literally standing in front of them.

As the Sanhedrin convened and attempted to convict him the Gospel of Mark says, “Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.” (Mark 14-55)

And it gets to me. The gravity of how innocent Christ was. In his whole earthly life he had done nothing to deserve this death. Yet He willingly laid his life down. For what? For us!

And he didn’t do it just for the found either. He did it especially for those still yet to be found. He did it for you.
Because without this sacrifice, we deserve to be in that place.

Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It’s a hard pill to swallow.

But, from the very beginning, God had a plan to redeem us. And not only that, he made the pathway to redeem this salvation FREE for the taking.

He also made it so incredibly simple it can be found in one verse:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

It really is that simple. Believe that God loves you with an incredible ridiculous love. In fact know that he loves so much he prayed for you  before you even came to being.

Believe that that Christ is who he says he is, The Son of God, and that his sacrifice, his perfect and completely innocent death means that your sin debt has been paid.

How precious and good this salvation gift is. For while we can hardly imagine a life beyond our earthly existence, this hope of everlasting life in peace and fellowship with our Creator God, well, that just might bring some purpose into the trials and hardships we face today.

There is something else. When you choose to accept this Salvation gift. All the sins you have ever committed will be washed away from His memory. There will be no account of them. And those future sins? (Because I don’t know about you, but I have yet to have a perfect day.) Well, we need to confess, apologize and turn away from them and He will forgive us for them as well.

Today we are talking about death. But, the best news, what makes this a GOOD Friday is that Jesus didn’t just die. He rose again! He conquered  the death we deserve and now offers each of us everlasting life with him. Death isn’t natural. It is not how God intended this world to operate. Death is a consequence. It is a byproduct of sin.

But, in the case of Christ and every single person who puts their faith in Him. Death no longer has the final word. Death has no victory. Christ broke death.

The question is, Will you accept freedom from your sins, freedom from eternal death by believing and accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?
If your answer is yes, I invite you to pray with me now…

Dear Heavenly Father, 
Thank you for the innocent sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you that before the foundations of the earth were laid you had already prepared the way to restore the fellowship we would break with you. I believe that Jesus Christ is that way.
Today I confess that I have sinned against you. I am truly sorry. 
I know the wages of my sin should be death, but I am so grateful that Jesus paid that sin debt for me. Thank you for forgiving me. I accept your gift of Salvation. Please be the Lord of my life from this day forward. 

In Jesus name, Amen. 

 

May God bless you this Easter weekend. May the awesome gift of Christ’s atonement for our sins fall fresh on you. May our hearts burst with gratitude for the free gift of salvation through grace. And may we well up with the desire to share this Good News with every person we encounter. May we love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.

If you were touched by this post, or if you accepted Christ as your savior for the first time I want to invite you to contact us. We would love to support you as you begin your journey with Christ.  You can reach us by visiting our website: www.westerndaysministries.org

 

 

~Rita

 

 

What Love Is – What Love Isn’t

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

May the Word of God speak to you today. May His love abound in you today and every day. 

Blessings on this Valentines Day. 

Blessed

It was sometime last summer when the idea flitted across my mind to write about The Sermon on the Mount. It was one of those things that happens when you know God is unavoidably steering your ship. I was so excited about the prospect of spending time going chronologically through a passage of Scripture, almost like a real Bible teacher might.

But then…

I wanted so much to be able to honestly speak into your life. I wanted this season of sharing to be something that meant more than words on a page. I crave the Holy Spirit colliding with your life, and my life. And as sometimes happens, I suddenly had all these fears. If I wrote about this passage of scripture, what would I be saying? Would I be saying that I knew something about the depth and meaning of these words?

I am not worthy Lord!

And the soft whisper flitted across my mind, Just let My Word speak.

And still I procrastinated. I took notes, I prayed, I read and re-read these passages. And every time I was enthralled with this message. These words, these red words right in front of me are the very word of Christ!!!! They are his instructions, his hope, his healing, his love spilled on a page for us. He, right here in these New Testament books is speaking to us! 

If that is not amazing, I don’t know what is!

Honestly, there isn’t much to add. He has said it all so well. But, as you read these verses here is what I hope you would hear:
Have you said yes to Christ? Did you know He is offering you a blessing, just for saying yes?

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad,because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

To be poor in spirit is to admit you have nothing to offer God. That your soul is bankrupt. Yet, He loves you so much He holds out the Kingdom of Heaven for you.

To mourn, be it for earthly things, or heavenly injustice, He offers his loving arms of comfort.

To be meek is to be gentle. How precious is that spirit to him. And here it says he will take care of you, provide for you.

To Hunger and thirst in this divine ache, what a relief that the more you consume God’s word, the more you will be filled! It cannot be enough, yet he will not leave you aching and still hungry.

Mercy. Sweet mercy, how often have we seen our Lord offer mercy in these pages. He’s offered it to the least of the least, and the best of the best, and even to you and me. Oh, how wonderful that his mercy is not dependent on our mercy. But, how can we not open our arms and pour mercy on others as He so mercifully poured His mercy on us.

The Pure in Heart. Oh how I wish our world could remember the value of purity. It is truly the sweetest thing. And in purity we are invited to see God!

The Peacemakers. The reconcilers. These are the ones who do not hold a grudge. These are the ones who teach, correct and exhort in such love that they bring us back into fellowship. Let’s all be peacemakers that we might be called the son’s/daughters of God.

On this side of the world we truly have no idea what “persecuted” means. Not once have we been asked to give our lives for our faith. Yet, we might in our first world sort of way know that day by day the freedom we have taken for granted for so long is slowly slipping like sand from beneath our feet. Today is all we have. Not to boast for our righteousness sake but because the harvest is ripe, and this nation as much as the furthest third world nation, needs Christ. And as it needs Christ it needs those who will not shirk the privilege and call to speak, with love, mercy, compassion, and conviction God’s amazing, saving truth.

In this country we have an amazing opportunity to soak up what Christ said, to live these red words and then carry them to the next person, and the next. God doesn’t just want you or me, he wants us all. The least of the least and the best of the best.
So, when someone says you talk about God too much. When someone suggests you keep that crazy remarkable impossible testimony locked inside, that even if it where true, it’s just for you. Let me ask you, what are you going to do about it?

Look I’m not saying boast what God has done for you, to glorify you. I’m saying boast what God has done to and make sure they know He can do it for them too.

Blessed are you. 

 

~Rita

Beginning With the End in Mind

There is a common method in goal setting that suggests rather than beginning with setting a goal and working forward, you should instead visualize where you want to end up and work backward from there. It’s the idea that if you want to be in a certain place, Spiritually or personally, if you want to be at a specific level of fitness or be at a certain place in your career, you should visualize what that version of you would be doing at that point in time and then look back to see what habits that version of you incorporates into the day to maintain that “ideal” place. 

I’ll use fitness as an example. Let’s say you want to lose 20 lbs. Conventional goal setting might put into place the development of habits such as dieting, and exercise. The idea being that to loose 20 lbs you have to do things to achieve it. And I suppose there is nothing wrong with this method of reaching a goal, except, what happens when you loose motivation, it gets too hard, or most likely, life just happens? You fall off the wagon, right? And when you fall, the idea of starting over can be so daunting, you hesitate before trying again, or maybe you just give up completely.

Well, lets imagine something a little different. Rather than thinking about the steps to reach your goal of a 20 lbs weight deficit. Let’s look ahead to the future you who has lost the weight. Let’s visualize how you feel with the lighter, fitter body you dream of. What does the fit you do each morning? What do you eat? What do you do to maintain your health? How does this “new you” interact with others when you are at a social gathering? Are you more confident? Has your journey established habits that are a regular part of your day? And probably most important, did you ever give up? 

It’s thinking about these things that helps you see that in order for you to reach your goal of loosing 20lbs, it is going to require a different lifestyle. You are going to need to establish habits that are part of your daily routine or rhythm. You are going to have to view your life differently, you are going to have to cultivate a mindset that supports this lifestyle. And you are going to have to persevere, because future you did not reach this point by quitting.

It is from this visualization, you can begin to work backward.
Fit you makes an appointment with yourself daily to exercise, not to loose weight but because moving your body now feels good. Fit you might reduce the portions on your plate, not because you are dieting, but because you now have better awareness that it doesn’t take so much food to feel full. With these images in mind, you begin to work forward as if you have already achieved your goal. Working toward implementing the things that the fit you at the end of that vision already does. Does this make sense to anyone?

Our path to spiritual fitness is really not that different from the physical one. If we desire and dream of being able to grasp the what and how of Scripture. If we desire to be of service to God in some way, if we truly want to know what God says about how we should live, I would like to invite you to move forward along that path by beginning with the end in mind. 

The Sermon on the Mount is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It is here that we can get a very clear sense of how God wants us to live, pretty much straight from the horses mouth. These are the words of Jesus. In my bible they are the red words. And they cover pretty much every subject and facet of life we can think of. But, rather than start at the beginning of the Sermon, I like to start at the end. It is here at the end that we see why it is so important to listen and apply the rest of Jesus’ words to our life over time. 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Matthew 7:24-28 NIV [emphasis mine]

It is here we see that our motivation to apply the rest of the sermon (and the rest of God’s word for that matter,) is so that we can have every facet of our life built on the firm foundation of Christ. In other words, it’s a whole different lifestyle.

When we view our life through the lens of Gods word. When we apply the principles found in scripture to our every day, we will have a firm foundation that cannot be shaken. 

However, if we try to do these things from a place of our own efforts and strength… Well, when we fall (because we all do.) We might wonder why we even need to try again. 

Are you seeing it’s about point of view? Houses built on Rocks have a tendency to be lifted off the ground. By this advantage, they naturally offer a better view of the surrounding landscape. 

A house build on the beach, while picturesque on a sunny day, will not be a great place when a storm blows in. If your already on the beach, it’ll be too late to get to higher ground when the the weather changes. 

I hope that makes sense, because over the next few weeks I am hoping to walk with you through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7.) I believe Jesus words can give us so much clarity and tangible practices we can apply to our lives on a daily bases. I also, believe when we have the end goal in mind, it is easier to view Gods word not as a standard we can’t live up to, but instead view it as the place from which we stack bricks of wisdom to help us weather the storms of life. 

Blessings,

~Rita

The Blindness of Faith

Lately I have been pondering the blindness of faith.

Have you ever felt like the road before you was cloaked in the deepest darkness. Like you can’t even see on inch beyond your nose. Like your internal compass has been lost and up is down and down is up? Yeah, me too. I’ve been there. I sometimes feel I still am there.

Faith walks are hard. They are hard to share too. Probably because when we are in them we are being stretched to uncomfortable lengths. On top of that it’s probably not pretty. At least in my own personal walk it’s not very pretty. Sharing is also hard because when you are in a faith walk, it’s not finished. So, how can you know you are actually passing the test when it’s not even close to over?

I’m in such a faith walk. I’m in a place where I have no idea how this is all going to turn out. This past summer my family embarked on a major journey and life change. We decided to take a leap of faith, sell most of our belongings and pursue a dream placed in our hearts long ago to move out west and work on a cattle ranch. It was glorious. We saw God show up BIG and pave the way for this grand adventure. We had no doubts this journey was exactly within the will of God for us to do. Yet, when we had been out there for only a short time we underwent a twist that none of us saw coming, and the choices where not awesome regardless of which fork in the road we took.

This is where things got real folks. This is where I had the choice to walk forward in faith that God could and would work things out for our good. Or, quite frankly I could choose the opposite.

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May I rabbit trail for a minute? When you do a big thing. When you reach the summit of a mountain top experience, the view is awesome. It’s breathtaking. It’s beyond amazing. But just as the law of physics says, what goes up, must come down. Be aware the first step down….well, it can be a doozy. But that is a whole other post for another day.

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I’m not trying to be a total downer. But, I am being real. We are so often led to believe that we have a choice in our circumstances, or that we have some power in how our lives turn out. I’m here to tell you, and here to confirm for you, that sometimes that is just not the case. People make choices all the time that affect our lives and we played no role in their decision making process. In fact I would even go so far to venture, that most of the time when your life is being affected in a negative way, by a source outside of yourself, that you probably weren’t even in the thoughts of the person making those decisions, at least not in an “I’m looking out for their best interest” kind of way.

And that’s hard.

While we may not always have a say in how the chips fall, we can decide in whom we are going to put our trust. Oh sure, we might say we trust God, but if we choose to spend any amount of time obsessing over the matter, I’m going to venture to guess that your faith is not laying in the hands it should be. Tough situations have a tendency to show us where we’re putting our faith… at least if we take a moment to be aware. And it’s one thing to say you are putting your trust in God. But, it is quite another to walk it out.

So, how do we walk in blind faith well?

I’m going to suggest that it isn’t found in being Mr./Miss. Positivity. Oh we all know the person with the believe it and you will achieve it attitude. And I suppose there is some merit to believing without doubt, and claiming your victory. But, when you have been knocked down hard, I can empathize with just how out of view that kind of mindset might seem.

But, maybe the way to look at this journey is with the end in mind. For me, it looks like; looking forward to look back. If that makes any sense?

What I mean is, when all this is over and I will finally have that 20/20 backward reflection, I want to be counted as faithful through the journey. And that might mean, that every day, I got up and put one foot in front of the other. It might mean that even though I had no idea or hope for the future, I choose to believe that absolutely insane belief that tomorrow was bringing me closer to the fulfillment of this work the Holy Spirit was doing within me. Being faithful might mean, that even if everything turns out completely different than I had hoped or planned that in the everyday moments I would lift my voice and praise my Savior for bestowing just the portion of strength I needed for today.

It’s not rosy. It’s not pretty. Just know this, God has carefully crafted this journey. Over and over his word reveals that no matter how dark the days ahead my seem. He has not left you, even for a moment.

In  the story of Jacob, (who while on the run, and feeling very alone in his journey) he had a dream about God. I love what he says when he woke up.

 “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
Genesis 28:16

Faith often feels like we are walking through life blindfolded. But, we need to remember, that even if we aren’t aware of it, God is with us in the journey.

Peace to you today,

Rita

 

 

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Reference:
Genesis 28:10-22

 

Abundant Life

I woke this morning thinking of all the people I know, who are going through some tough stuff. When we go through hard times, I think it only natural that we consider the source. The thought of “Why me?” flits across our mind, not in the pity party sense, but just in the sense of searching and trying to understand.

I think most people want to be on a good track and be successful, but life has this funny way of derailing us at the most inopportune moments. So, today I want to hang one truth in front of you. Regardless of the choices we have made. Regardless of the circumstances we are in; God loves you. He is for you. He came, not to cause this chaos/hurt/pain/illness, whatever. He came to give you an abundant life. Abundant in love from a perfectly loving God. Abundant hope that he can and will see you through this storm. Abundant truth that there is nothing, NOTHING that He cannot redeem. So, hang this truth in front of you today. God is with you. That old enemy is behind the junk we deal with. BUT, the truth is he has NO power over the outcome. Satan looses his power over the chaos when we turn our eyes to our Creator, our Aba Father who HAS the power to turn that chaos into one of the greatest testimonies of our lives.

In the meantime, in the waiting and hoping, know we are lifting you all in our prayers. Not that God needs reminding of our problems, but because it is worth reminding our problems that we have on our side a BIG God. 

Blessings

~Rita