Not "Nice"

I was recently talking with a new friend.  Sometimes when you're telling your story, you see yourself in a new light.  "It's nice that you can do that," was her response to me making a choice to trust God in a certain area of my life.

Her words still dance in my head two days later.  In reality, I don't see it as "nice" that I can stand in faith on the issue about which I spoke.  It's not nice to look like an unprepared adult.  It's not nice to wonder in which country you should enroll your children for school.  It's not nice to still live out of  a suitcase.  It's not nice wondering where someone should mail something to you because you are not sure where you will be living.  It's not nice waiting for promises that have value only in your Spirit.  It's not nice ... it's faith.  She helped me see that.

Faith isn't always fun ... requires surety in things that have only been spoken in your heart ... usually counters human logic ... keeps itself quite and expecting ... waits until the last minute ... keeps you up at night ... is rarely defined ... causes you to doubt ... is a noun and a verb ... that allows you to understand that God never - ever - lives in a box.

Feeling somewhat like a member of the crew of the Dawn Treader (Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Chronicles of Narnia series) in the past I've looked at living by faith as entrance into the Dark Island, waiting for the Great Sea Serpent to attack, pull me under, and devour my life.  After many years of trusting God, He's redefined my faith by ... acts of faith!  Often we think living by faith will not be for our good, is out of our reach, or simply requires too much of us.  Lies, friends.  All LIES!  Every time I trust Him and choose to walk by faith I gain!  Going through the Dark Island and destroying the Great Sea Serpent brought the crew closer to the shore of Aslan ... the place that was their destiny.

I'm walking through my faith ... learning to ignore the things that cause me to see God as anything but the Rewarder of my Faith ... and pressing in to reach the shore ... the things He has promised ... which are my destiny.

If we, who say we know Jesus, and are being filled with life by His Spirit - would dare to live by faith - what, pray tell, would our lives produce in ourselves ... in others ... in a watching world?!

not being nice but holding on to faith,
christina