Steps of Faith

Over the past week, I've been imagining how I would respond to some of the tragedies I have seen others face-- the widow of a local pastor whose 33 yr old husband was electrocuted during a baptism; the parents of a former co-worker who just lost their premature baby after having suffered two previous miscarriages; a husband and wife we saw at Jason's Deli whose 18 yr old son tragically died in a car accident. Tragedies are all around us. I tend to live in a bubble hoping those horrible things will never happen to me. I would like to go through life with everyone in my family healthy and successful. I want the people I love to live to a ripe old age of 90+ and die peacefully while sleeping in their warm beds at home. I want my children to grow up rooted in the Lord. But in my paradigm, it would be good for them to also have successful careers, marry godly spouses and get opportunities to travel, have beautiful families, and perfectly blissful lives. What is wrong with this picture? Doesn't it sound wonderful? It does to me. The trouble is that this picture totally contradicts what the Lord says a Christian's life will be like. (2 Tim 3:12; Jn 16:33) Instead we are admonished to accept our hardships with joy (James 1:2) I, like so many Christians I know, would like to have a deeply intimate relationship with the Lord -- one filled with joy and peace and spiritual fruit of many varieties; while at the same time, enjoy a life with few hardships or trials. As long as things are going great, I believe this fantasy may actually be possible, but as soon as trouble starts to brew, I dig my heels into the sand, put my hands on my hips in protest, and throw daggers with my eyes and thoughts to the One who created me. I quip back with, "This is not fair!" and "How can a loving God do this to me?" I hold out in my obstinacy until the crisis is over or the hurt has been assuaged by time and I forget the pain. Yep, that pretty much describes the cycle. In really dissecting this paradigm, I see a couple of major problems. The first one is that it is totally based on just that--fantasy. I know of no life that has been untouched by hardship. It does not exist. So why do I hold out hope to win the lottery when there is no reason to believe it will come true. The second thought I have is this: Do I really want it to come true? Deep inside, don't we all know that the Lord has shown us the importance of trials in developing godliness and perseverence. Could we really know Him as we were intended to know Him if we went through life with no problems and never had to come face to face with the testing of our faith? I don't think so. From my very limited personal experience, I've already discovered that it's not for a toddler's best interest to give them candy everytime they ask for it, Or to buy them a toy everytime we go to the store. Children who always get everything they want turn into spoiled brats. Now, as much as I hate the thought of my children ending up as brats, I'm sure the Lord has some similar views about us. He has plans for us that surpass and dwarf the ones we set for ourselves in the moment. I am glad He does; He knows what is best for me. But the hard part is making the decision to take a step of faith and trust that He is God and knows what He's doing. My flesh cries out in the moment, "He's doing it to you again!" "Don't trust Him!" "You have a right to feel imposed upon!" But if we are children of God, we have the Holy Spirit who cries out with Jesus, "I will never leave you or forsake you!" "Trust me" "I am bread of life" I have begun to see that I have a choice to make every time I am faced with whether to doubt and put on a pout or to trust and embrace Him. I can either take a step of faith and trust him because I know in my heart that He can be trusted (He said that about Himself and His testimony is reliable) or I can choose to distrust Him because that is what my flesh wants and it feeds my flesh in the moment. I had to realize that I had grown accustomed to doing just that; Feeding my flesh had become a habit. I didn't even have to think about it anymore --it was almost second nature. But Jesus is so good to guide us back to Him. He is the Good Shepherd! I have started to spend a lot of time in his word, pouring over scriptures of truth about who He is and what our legacy is as His precious children. He did not leave us helpless to Satan's accusations. He filled us with His Spirit and equipped us with everything we need. But ultimately, we still have the choice to take a step of faith to believe Him when all evidence points against His love. By His mercy, He has shown me that the only way for me to trust Him and take these very important steps of faith, is by asking Him to do it for me. And these steps of faith are not reserved for the tragic moments in life, but for every single situation we face daily. When my son wet his bed the other day, and I wanted to get frustrated, I had an opportunity for a step of faith with Him. When I was battling a horrible headache and laryngitis at school on Friday, the choice was there for me to make. Earlier today, when Satan starting randomly filling my mind with complaints about my right to a kitchen today, I was given a perfect opportunity to take a little step of faith. Lord, show us how to do this in all of the many details of our lives! Give us truth to combat the Accuser's lies. Fill us with your Life. We so desperately need You, Lord. Amen.