Happy Saturday! This has been another long week for me, and after a 12 and a half hour day at work yesterday, I was thankful to not be controlled by the alarm clock this morning! I am glad I stayed there last night though because HOPEFULLY, by the end of this day, my new home office will be a lot further along, and I wanted to get work off my plate so I could concentrate with Andrew on getting my new "cloffice" set up. Anyway, on with our Bible Study!
For the past three weeks, we've talked about nutrition, physical fitness and finances. We've talked about taking care of the bodies God gave us, making wise choices with our money and being good stewards of the blessings He's entrusted to us. But this week, we're going to talk about the one thing that ties all of those together. Our FAITH.
I saved this one for last because I truly believe our relationship with God influences every other area of our lives. And just like our bodies, our finances and our habits, our faith is something we need to keep working on. I've been a Christian all my life, and I'm still learning and growing every single day!
1. Faith grows when we spend time in God's Word and with His people.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17
I was blessed to grow up in a home where going to church, reading our Bibles and turning to God weren't just things we talked about. They were things we DID. I watched my mom and dad live their faith every single day, and looking back, I realize just how much that shaped the person I am today.
I've had friends tell me they have a difficult time reading the Bible. Honestly, that's something I've never really struggled with, probably because I grew up with it. I've always loved the King James Version. It's what I grew up hearing, it's what I still use at church, and there's something about the formality of the language that brings me comfort. I study from the NIV, too, and I realize that for someone who wasn't raised reading the King James, a different translation might be easier to understand. And that's okay! I'd much rather see someone reading a Bible they can understand than not reading one at all. If you're someone who struggles with knowing where to start, ask somebody to help you. I'd absolutely love to help someone discover the comfort I've found in God's Word.
And honestly, I think that's part of why I enjoy doing these Saturday Bible Studies and sharing Scripture throughout the week. I hope that in some small way, I'm helping people get into the Word of God without them even realizing it! Maybe someone who wouldn't normally sit down and open their Bible will stop and read a verse I've shared. And when I explain what was happening in Scripture, who was being spoken to and how that verse applies to our lives today, maybe it makes the Bible a little less intimidating. I don't want people to just read a verse because I posted it. I want them to understand what it means and hopefully be encouraged to open their own Bible and keep reading. If something I share helps even one person become more comfortable spending time in God's Word, then these Saturday mornings are time very well spent!
I suppose my love for the formality of the King James is a little like why I enjoy dressing up for work every day. It's not that everybody else needs to do it my way. It's simply what feels right to me!
And while we're talking about growing our faith, I have to talk about church. I've never really understood how someone can say they're a Christian but not feel the need to attend church. To me, that's a little like saying you have a particular profession but never actually going to work! I know that might sound a little strong, and I realize there are people who can't attend because of health, transportation or other circumstances. But I believe being part of a church family is imperative to growing our faith. We need people who will worship with us, pray with us, encourage us and sometimes even challenge us. We don't always see eye to eye on everything, and honestly, I think that's good for us. When someone sees something differently than I do, it makes me stop and reevaluate what I'm thinking and why I believe what I believe.
But perhaps the greatest lessons I've learned about faith haven't come during the easy times. They've come from watching what happens when life gets really hard.
When I was about five years old, my dad smashed his leg. It was a frightening time for our family, and there were people saying he might never walk again. At five, I didn't really think about the fact that my dad was only 36 years old and what that possibility meant for the rest of his life. But I remember watching my parents turn to Jesus. They prayed, they trusted and they kept going.
My mom went through so many health struggles over the years that I honestly always thought we would lose her before we lost Dad. When I was in third grade, she was so sick that I remember thinking we were going to lose her then. But Jesus carried us through that, too.
Then Dad had a heart attack when I was 12, and we lost him when I was 13. When I was 14, Mom spent three months in the hospital. I remember one especially frightening night when they had to transfer her to Springfield. We were told that if everything didn't go just right during that trip, we might arrive at the hospital only to learn that she hadn't survived the journey.
Those are some pretty frightening things for a child to experience. But through every one of them, I had my Bible, my church family and a God who never left us. I watched my parents turn to Him, and when I needed Him, I knew exactly where to go.
And then came May 1st of this year.
Losing my mom so suddenly has been the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. Seriously. After everything she survived, all the years of health struggles and all the times we wondered whether we might lose her, I never imagined that a car accident would be what took her from us.
But even through this, Jesus has held me in His arms. He's placed wonderful Christian friends in my path who have prayed for me, checked on me, encouraged me and loved me through days when I didn't know how I was going to get through them.
And that's why I believe so strongly that we need God's Word and a church family. We don't build those relationships and strengthen our faith just for the good days. We build them because there WILL be hard days. There will be times when we don't understand what's happening, when our hearts are broken and when we simply don't have the strength to carry ourselves.
I'm so thankful my parents taught me where to turn before I ever knew how desperately I would need Him. And if you weren't blessed with that kind of beginning, it's never too late to start building that relationship with Jesus.
2. Faith isn't just something we believe. It's something we DO.
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
James 2:17
I have said for years that I am SO blessed because I get to do God's work and get paid for it! I know not everyone has the opportunity to feel that way about their job, and I certainly don't take it for granted. To me, what I do for a living has never been just a job. It's a calling. And my love for God and the people He created makes it that much sweeter.
One of my favorite things is getting a phone call from someone who has a problem they just don't know how to solve. Maybe they're scared, frustrated or simply overwhelmed. And if I can work through that situation with them and, by the time we're hanging up, take that problem off their plate, there aren't many things that make me feel better. Sometimes they'll say, “God bless you!” And I love being able to answer, “He just did!” Because I truly believe that being given the opportunity to help someone else is a blessing to me, too.
I think that's what James is trying to teach us. We can talk about our faith all day long. We can tell people how much we love Jesus, quote Scripture and attend church every Sunday. But if that faith never makes a difference in how we treat people, what are we really showing them?
And I don't think putting our faith into action always has to involve something big. Sometimes it's taking the time to listen when we're busy. Sometimes it's being patient with someone who isn't being particularly patient with us. Sometimes it's helping someone without expecting anything in return, checking on a friend who's having a hard time or simply treating people with the kindness and respect they deserve.
Now, I don't always get it right. There are days when I'm tired, frustrated or overwhelmed, and I have to remind myself that the person on the other end of the phone may be having a much worse day than I am. But I think that's part of growing in our faith, too. Recognizing when we need to do better and asking God to help us be the person He wants us to be.
And here's something else I've learned. We don't have to work for a community action agency, be a pastor or have some special title to serve God. Whatever we do for a living, wherever we spend our time and whoever God puts in our path, we have opportunities to show His love. We may never know what someone else is going through or how much one small act of kindness might mean to them. I shared a verse in an earlier post that I think fits perfectly here.
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Hebrews 13:2
I love that verse! It reminds me that we never really know who God is putting in our path. We might think we're simply helping a stranger, but that encounter could mean far more than we realize. And even if that person isn't an angel, they're still someone God created and someone He loves. Shouldn't that alone be reason enough to treat them with kindness?
I love my job, but I don't want my faith to stop when I leave the office. I want it to show up in my marriage, my friendships, my church, my family and even in the way I treat a complete stranger.
I don't just want people to hear me talk about Jesus. I want them to see a little bit of Him in the way I treat them.
And if God gives me the opportunity to make someone's day a little easier along the way, well, that's a blessing I don't ever want to take for granted.
3. Faith means trusting God even when we can't see the outcome.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5
I think one of the hardest parts of being a Christian is learning to trust God when His plans don't look anything like ours. It's easy to say we trust Him when everything is going the way we think it should. But what about when we've prayed about something, we're absolutely convinced we know what God wants us to do, and then the door slams shut right in front of us?
I've been there. More than once! And one of those times happened 26 years ago, right before I started working for ERBA.
I had been a stay-at-home mom for six years, and I had decided it was time to go back to work. I had been volunteering at Robert's school, helping in the library and the office, and when a secretary position opened up, I just KNEW that was where God wanted me. It seemed absolutely perfect! I could go back to work, have a schedule very similar to Robert's and still be available for him. I had already been spending time at the school, I enjoyed the work and, in my mind, everything about it made sense.
And then I didn't even get an interview.
I was DEVASTATED. I was hurt, disappointed and, quite frankly, pretty upset with God. I couldn't understand why He would put what seemed like the perfect opportunity right in front of me and then not let me have it. It even made me question my own worth. If I couldn't even get an interview for a job at a school where I had been volunteering, what did that say about me?
But then Andrew saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a position at ERBA. He thought it sounded like the perfect fit for me, and as it turned out, he was right.
Twenty-six years later, I look back at that newspaper ad and marvel at how much it changed my life. I never could have imagined the opportunities God had waiting for me. I have been able to help thousands of people, grow personally and professionally, and even have opportunities to be a voice for the people we serve at a NATIONAL level! None of that was something I could have pictured when I was sitting there feeling rejected because I didn't get an interview.
Now, please don't misunderstand me. Being a school secretary is important work, and the people who do it make a tremendous difference in the lives of children and families every single day. But it wasn't where God intended ME to be. I can see that now, even though I certainly couldn't see it then.
There's a very popular Garth Brooks song about unanswered prayers. I've always thought about that a little differently. I don't believe a single prayer ever goes unanswered. I believe sometimes God's answer is YES, sometimes it's NO, and sometimes it's NOT RIGHT NOW. But I don't believe He ever ignores our prayers.
And that's the hard part, isn't it? We want the answer to be yes, and we want it to be yes RIGHT NOW! We pray about something, but sometimes what we're really doing is telling God what we've decided and asking Him to agree with us. I know I've been guilty of that! I've had to learn that prayer isn't about convincing God that my plan is the right one. It's about trusting Him enough to accept that His plan might be different.
Of course, not every disappointment eventually turns into a wonderful opportunity we can look back on and understand. There are things that happen in this life that I still don't understand, and some of them hurt more than I ever imagined possible. But I don't have to understand everything to believe that God is still with me.
And here's the thing. Just because I can look back over those 26 years and see how God was working doesn't mean I've suddenly mastered trusting Him! In fact, the past 17 days at work have been ROUGH. We've been dealing with new programs, new problems and situations that are largely beyond our control. There have been days when I've questioned how much longer I want to keep doing this, and believe me, God and I have had some pretty long conversations about it!
I've always joked that I would work until noon on the day of my funeral! But there's a little truth behind that joke. My career and the people I get to serve have become such a big part of who I am that I have a hard time imagining what life would look like without it. At the same time, I'm watching friends retire, and I realize that retirement could be a possibility for me in the next few years. And lately, with everything going on, I've found myself wondering whether that time might come sooner than I once thought.
But every time I start thinking that way, I find myself coming back to the same realization. This is a season. It's a difficult season, and I don't have all the answers, but there are still so many reasons I believe God needs me right where I am for now. There are people who need help, problems that need solving and work that still needs doing. Maybe someday He'll lead me into a different chapter, but right now, I believe He's asking me to keep showing up, keep advocating, keep serving and keep trusting Him through this rough patch.
He was in control when I didn't get that school secretary interview 26 years ago, and He's still in control today. I just have to keep reminding myself of that!
When I look back at that young mom who was so hurt because she didn't get an interview, I wish I could tell her what was coming. I wish I could tell her about the people she'd meet, the lives she'd touch, the opportunities she'd have and how much she'd come to love the work God had prepared for her. But then again, maybe that's the whole point of faith. We don't get to see the next 26 years. We just have to trust God with the next step.
Sometimes the door we wanted most is the very door God knows we need to walk past. And sometimes His “NO” is what leads us to a blessing we never even knew to ask for.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE
This week, I'm going to ask you to do something that might be a little uncomfortable. I want you to examine your prayers.
First of all, are you praying for YOURSELF?
I think there are a lot of people who feel funny about that. We pray for our families, our friends, people who are sick and people who are struggling, but sometimes we hesitate to ask God for the things WE want or need. And I think when we do that, we're missing out on part of the personal relationship He wants to have with us.
Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7
Now, that doesn't mean God is going to give us everything we ask for, exactly when and how we want it. But I believe He wants us to bring our hopes, our worries, our dreams and our decisions to Him. When I was looking for a job 26 years ago, I was focused on one particular opportunity. God knew what I wanted, but He also knew what I needed, and those turned out to be two very different things!
So this week, I want you to ask yourself: Am I actually telling God what's on my heart? Am I praying about the things I want for my own life, or do I feel like I shouldn't bother Him with those things? And perhaps most importantly, am I asking God what He wants for me, or am I asking Him to agree with what I've already decided?
Talk to Him. Tell Him what you want. Tell Him what you're afraid of. Tell Him when you're disappointed, confused or even angry. And then be willing to listen, because sometimes the answer is YES, sometimes it's NO, and sometimes it's NOT RIGHT NOW.
Over these past four weeks, we've talked about being faithful with our nutrition, our physical fitness, our finances and now our faith. None of us is going to get every one of those things right every day. I certainly don't! But I believe God wants us to keep learning, keep growing and keep bringing every part of our lives to Him.
God hasn't asked me to be perfect with what He's given me. He's asked me to be faithful. And every single day, I get another opportunity to do just that.
I hope everyone has a wonderful productive Saturday and that tomorrow you find time to celebrate Jesus with others in church somewhere. If you are in the Jasper County Illinois area and do not have a church home, I will invite you to come be a part of our small but loving and faithful congregation. Hidalgo Independent Christian Church, 227 W Harrison, Hidalgo IL. Sunday School is at 9, Worship starts at 10 and then we have a Sunday evening Bible Study, where we are just getting started in Hebrews, it is at 6. We would love to have you! And, if you want to "try before you buy", visit us on facebook at Hidalgo Independent Christian Church, our worship service will be live at 10 AM. I love you, but most importantly, GOD loves you!
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