having faith now, not later
I often reflect on past locations and situations in which we've lived and think how differently I'd live there now if I could do it all over. I am not a bold, courageous person. Moments in my life when I have really NEEDED to be courageous and I have been only exist because of the grace of God.
Looking back, almost without fail, I see how timid I was when moving into a new location. Learning the roads, learning the customs of the people, learning the pace of life for that culture and church, learning how to relate to the people there...all of it could really intimidate me. I remember crying at the grocery store in Nyack, NY because the cashier was rude to me in the proverbial "New Yorker" kind of way. It ruined my whole day.
What would life be like if we could learn to live with the faith NOW that we wouldn't normally appropriate 'til 5 years from now? Hmmm. I may not have 5 years to live in Nassau. Two years may be all we have here. I can't waste that time being timid. If faith is really "the assurace of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), then we really have to live in the NOW with the faith of the future. If we could really learn to walk by faith and not by sight, how would that change our lives? The impact of our lives on the world?
Our faith need not be in anything uncertain. It can only be in God. There is nothing uncertain about him. He will do what he says. He will not leave. He will provide. He will give us help. He will prosper us. And if we know all that and still feel timid, we can pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, our comforter. What is one thing you would do differently this day/week/month/year if you knew it would turn out well? Maybe it's time to do it. Leave the result to God.
Looking back, almost without fail, I see how timid I was when moving into a new location. Learning the roads, learning the customs of the people, learning the pace of life for that culture and church, learning how to relate to the people there...all of it could really intimidate me. I remember crying at the grocery store in Nyack, NY because the cashier was rude to me in the proverbial "New Yorker" kind of way. It ruined my whole day.
What would life be like if we could learn to live with the faith NOW that we wouldn't normally appropriate 'til 5 years from now? Hmmm. I may not have 5 years to live in Nassau. Two years may be all we have here. I can't waste that time being timid. If faith is really "the assurace of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), then we really have to live in the NOW with the faith of the future. If we could really learn to walk by faith and not by sight, how would that change our lives? The impact of our lives on the world?
Our faith need not be in anything uncertain. It can only be in God. There is nothing uncertain about him. He will do what he says. He will not leave. He will provide. He will give us help. He will prosper us. And if we know all that and still feel timid, we can pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, our comforter. What is one thing you would do differently this day/week/month/year if you knew it would turn out well? Maybe it's time to do it. Leave the result to God.
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