I
received a catalog in the mail the other day from one of my favorite Christian
bookstores. I like always like to glance through it when it comes, because they
always have such neat home décor. It occurred to me as I was flipping through
the pages, that so often we, as Christians, have taken verses and symbols and
turned them into nothing more than a cool bumper sticker or cute wall hanging.
We throw around verses like Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me) as if they were nothing more than a cute
saying. We walk around with a t-shirt saying, “I can do ALL things”, yet live
in a defeated state of mind spewing negativity everywhere we go.
The time has come. It’s time to
start living the life we like to give lip service too. I get tired of saying one thing and doing
another, don’t you? Either the Bible is completely true, or it is a fraud.
There’s no middle ground. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, ALL scripture is
God-breathed, so either it is, or it isn’t. So, if the Bible is true, we are
told over and over things like; we are more than conquers (Romans 8:37), don’t
worry (Matthew 6:34), and that God is always with us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Why
are those promises so hard to believe?
Over the years, especially the last
5 or 6, I have gone through many circumstances where I had to move beyond a
bumper sticker faith and really re-assess where I was placing my trust. When
things are going smoothly and there are no real challenges, it’s easy to live
in a realm of clichés and feel-good quotes, but have no real substance to your
faith. However, when unexpected situations occur, or rapid changes happen, you
must choose if you are going to step out in faith, or cower back in fear. It’s
so easy to default into fear and never be willing to take a chance. Sadly though,
the rewards often lie in those places where we are depending on God, not on a
comfort zone.
For now, I am choosing to live day
by day seeking what it is God has for me. It isn’t easy, and there are many
days where I fall into worry, doubt, and fear. However, I know without a shadow
of a doubt that God does indeed have a good plan for my life and for my family,
and I choose to trust that in the right timing, those promises will come to
fruition.
“’For
I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and
not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT.
