Trust – Women Who Walk By Faith

Are you walking your journey looking through the rear view mirror?

Do you often feel like you get drawn back into your past? Perhaps, you go back to relive a very happy moment? May be, you haven’t healed from an event in your past and you go back wondering what went wrong, you ask a bunch of what if’s or you just can’t move forward because of the pain?

Why does the past often seem so attractive? Can we relive an exact moment in our past, re-create it?

Our past is never meant to be re-created. In fact, it never can be. Even if I walk the same path today as I did yesterday, my foot prints will be different, my thoughts will not be exactly the same and the environment around me will be slightly different, even though it is the same path as yesterday. No matter, where or how we walked the journey yesterday, we are meant to always be in the present moment.

person on a bridge near a lake — Photo by Simon Migaj on Pexels.com

So, why does God give us this capacity to remember the journey we have already traveled?

I think He does so to reveal moments of joy and happiness and moments of sadness and pain to aid us in the present moment. They either will help us through a learning experience or they will bring a smile in the moment when we need it.

Sometimes, I think in my own personal life, I feel I get sucked back into my past through current circumstances. I have two choices in those moments. I can either allow myself to be sucked into a place that no longer exist or I can choose to move forward in the present moment by choosing to deal with the circumstance through the grace of all things God has provided in that moment to aid me to continue the path forward, only looking back to learn how to best proceed.

Then there are memories in my past I cherish, memories that bring pure joy. Being a mom of two beautiful young ladies, I cherish the memories I have of their childhood, the moments they brought laughter to my day by their actions and words, the moments when they made their first accomplishments as they grew into the the young ladies they are today. I also embrace the memories of those who have gone before me or who have provided me with great wisdom and love through my childhood and young adult life. These memories are things I can look back on and be filled with joy and also learn from as I embrace the current moment.

As I reflect on my own journey, God provides these memories to me for a purpose and that purpose is not for me to try to relive the moment or to go back and stay in the past. He gives them to me to learn from them, to rejoice in them, to strengthen me and remind me of all the gifts He has provided for me in the journey.

If we try to drive looking through the rear view mirror, we will never move forward and reach our ultimate destination. The rear view mirror is there to help us journey forward by seeing what is behind us and using that to make the best decision to maneuver as we travel the road ahead in the present moment, where God is, providing the ultimate compass of guidance.

Are you walking your journey looking through the rear view mirror or are you using it to aid you as you maneuver the challenges of life?

Are you filled with the fulless of God or are you running on empty?

“That He may grant you in accord with the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

Are you filled with the fullness of God or are you running on empty? Perhaps your cup of faith is half full and is being depleted?

Often times as we walk through life, we find ourselves checking the boxes when it comes to our faith because life is too busy to do anything more. We have very good intentions and we make sure we are doing the things we know are right, like go to church regularly. In the midst of it, our faith becomes stagnant or it may begin to deplete.

I think just as we all have financial bank accounts and emotional bank accounts, we also have faith bank accounts. Frequently, we withdraw a lot from our faith bank account as we push through each day. If we fail to deposit into our faith account, our roots may begin to dry up and the strength we once had is weakened. If our faith bank account is not full, when trials and struggles hit us, we are less equipped to handle them. We begin to question God instead of lean on Him, accepting and surrendering to His will.

white piggy bank on brown wooden surface — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Many things are invested in through our faith bank account – trust in God, joy, grace, love and forgiveness of others, etc. It is important for us to constantly deposit into our account. God places so many things at our fingertips to invest or pour into our faith accounts. In order to fill our inner self with the Spirit, we have to utilize these tools He places before us. We have to take a breather from the business of life and invest time in some of these tools He gives us such as:

Prayer – consistently show up to converse with God, to sit with Him, to listen to Him

Bible (our how to book) – reading the Bible, learning and receiving God’s message

Church – attending church, worshipping and praising Him, serving your community and fellowshipping with the body of Christ

Friends and Family – companions to walk our journey with

Retreats, Bible Studies, Theological and Spiritual resources – resources that help us grow in knowledge and love of Christ as we experience our faith through the eyes of others and with others.

Recently, I found myself in a situation where my cup, my bank account wasn’t full enough to handle the boulder that dropped in front of me. I wrestled as I stumbled. I began to question myself and my ability to handle the things that God was placing before me because of the way I was dealing with my boulder. In doing so, I fell into the “I’m not good enough syndrome.” Am I good enough to be the daughter He is calling me to, the daughter He is asking to walk along side others? I attended a women’s conference this weekend, with around 4800 other women – phenomenal. As I listened to the speakers’ stories and their messages, my faith bank account began to fill. My spirit was infused with the love, strength and knowledge of Christ. I realized that God is calling me as His qualified daughter based on His merits and not mine. I am good enough, especially for His purpose in my life. He will utilize the gifts He has given me to overcome this boulder in my life as He has done before and to serve Him in the capacity He is calling me to as I walk along side others with all my brokenness sharing His love, compassion and mercy.

God utilizes everything for His goodness and the tools He gives us to fill our faith account helps us to be “grounded in love… have strength to comprehend… what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” When we are filled with the fullness of God, we can handle the boulders that fall in front of us with His grace by accepting and trusting that His plan surpasses anything we could fathom.

Are you filled with the fullness of God or are you running on empty? Does your faith bank account need a little deposit so that you can invest more in trusting God and in the joy that’s buried in your heart waiting to burst through? If you are feeling depleted, take time to pray, invest in time with your spiritual friends, attend a retreat or a conference if you can, spend time in all capacities that radiate with the love of Jesus. I’m certain that you will begin to fill your cup of faith.

Where is your focus when the wind is strong and the water is deep?

“The wind is strong, the water is deep; My heart is heavy and my mind won’t sleep; Oh can you heal, my fear it breathes; I need to know if You’re the shadow I can see; I wanna run to You when the waves break through; I wanna run to You and not turn back; There’s no turning back; Nothing in my past; My eyes are on You again; Can’t see nothing at all; But Your outstretched arms; Help me believe it; Though I falter; You got me walking on water; The ocean’s singing, the song of grace; But if I’m honest with myself, I am still afraid….” Walking on Water by NEEDTOBREATHE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh49C6vxB40

Ever felt like you were on the mountaintop of life and then stumbled, falling into the valley? Or perhaps you were walking on water and lost your focus as life hit you from nowhere and you began to sink?

Sometimes our faith may be tested and we lose focus. Our trust in God may falter. The things we feel we have overcome and conquered find there way back into the cracks of our inner being, leaving us breathless, hurt and afraid. The great thing about our faith is that God knows we are going to fall off the mountain or sink to the bottom of the deep waters but He is there each time to pick us up. God reveals this to us in Matthew 14:27-32. Upon Jesus’ command, Peter begins to walk on water towards Jesus, but when he becomes afraid and takes His focus off of Jesus, he begins to sink and cries out to Him, “Lord, save me!” and “immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” When we take our focus off of Jesus when the storm frightens us, we may falter but He will stretch out His hand each time and lift us back up.

Today I found myself reflecting on my own moments of faltering as life hit me like a train. The things I thought I had overcome and put beside me knocked me into the deep waters. The strength and trust I felt I had built up over the years, began to crumble like a wall that had been hit by a wrecking ball. This song “Walking on Water” by NEEDTOBREATHE and the passage in Matthew 14 speaks to my heart so much in this season of faltering and losing focus when life feels out of control. It leads me back to the truth of my faith, that even in the moments that I feel helpless, God is there sorting everything out, calming the storm as He lifts me from the depths of the sea of self-pity, fear, doubt and whatever other feelings that are surrounding my core of His grace and love. Of course, as I watch this unfold I see my faith and my trust strengthen a little bit more. In Isaiah 43:2,4 I am also reminded that as I “pass through waters, [He] will be with [me]; through rivers, [I] shall not be swept away. When [I] walk through fire, [I] shall not be burned, nor will flames consume [me]… [I am] precious in [His] eyes and honored, and [He] loves [me]…” His truth breathes life into me as He reminds me who I am in His eyes and how to depend on Him in the storms of my life.

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Dear friends, what will you do when the storms hit and the walls begin to crumble? When the winds are strong and the water is deep, will you focus your eyes on Jesus? Will you turn your back on your past and walk on the waters of life into His outstretched arms as He calms the storms in your life?

The roller coaster of life

“I command you be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Have you ever rode a roller coaster? Have you stood in the line watching it go up and straight down, twisting and jerking those riding, while they scream to the top of their lungs? Did you stand there in excitement or a part of you fighting fear of the sudden drop?

black and white roller coaster — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I think life comes at us often like a roller coaster. As we watch from the sidelines, we anticipate what may happen and some emotions begin to form within, most often fear of what may happen on the ride. Once you are strapped in your seat, you are secure by that of mankind. Then the ride begins and you build yourself up with excitement as you begin to climb to the highest point. Then it hits as you are at the top for a split second, fear of the unknown of what may happen as you descend rapidly. Once you reach the bottom, you realize it’s not so bad and your safety belt held. You are secure. As the ride continues, you get twisted and jerked here and there and continue climbing steep tracks and descending. After the ride is over, you are exhilarated. You did something very daring, but most of all you placed your trust in the security of your safety belt and the human engineering of the roller coaster. You can also look at it from the perspective of freedom. On the coaster, you let go and felt freedom from your own control as you had no where to go but where it took you once it started down the track.

One can compare this to life and our relationship with God. On the roller coaster, we are placing our life in the security of man, the designer, construction crew, the quality control and maintenance of the coaster and not ourselves. In life, through FAITH, we place our life in the security of God. Of course, we have to hop on the coaster of life and let God be in control of the highs and lows, the twists and jerks. Sometimes we may be challenged greatly as the descend takes us directly into a twist and flips our world upside down. Even in that moment, He still has you on the track guiding you through to the next. As you are at the bottom, He begins to prepare you for the ascend to the top, to the space freely created to accomplish His will in you, to trust Him when you begin to descend again. The wheels will remain on the track. As you trust in the security of His love and His Word, you will remain planted, grounded in Him.

I find myself often faltering from my trust in God. Usually it is in that split second that I realize life has just challenged me and I’m about to descend into a twist and turn, I begin to rely on my human nature of taking control and doing everything on my own. Sometimes, it’s not until I get halfway down the sudden drop when I realize, God is in control of this and as long as I place my trust in Him, I will stay on the track and life will not fall apart. I know I will falter that is my nature. But if I realize at some point down the slope, that God has this and I’m in the security of His hands, then I have still won the battle. God will always be there ready to keep me on the track and safely secure in the seat of the roller coaster of life. When He delivers His message of assurance through His Word or another’s reflection, it is overwhelmingly exhilarating.

How does God’s thrill ride compare to man’s? How exhilarating is it? Do you want to ride it over and over again?

Fruit in the Silence

“Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God” Psalm 5:3

Have you ever been in a place or a state when all you feel like doing is crying, hoping that it will bring you solace? What about prayer – have you sat down in silence and struggled and found your self resting, being consoled and comforted?

I found myself today practicing being present to God in silence. I must say this is a total struggle for me at times. My mind tends to wander all over the world and back. As I sat in the chapel in Adoration, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I settled my mind and engaged in silence and total presence. As I sat there, an image popped into my head. The image, at the time I found to be intriguing. It was the ocean washing ashore. At first there was a wall present and then I realized the wall was gone and the water was just washing away the sand before me as it came ashore. Because I was centering myself in prayer, I didn’t want to analyze this too much but felt that the wall was a blockage for me to be present to God and as the water washed ashore, He removed it so that I could center myself. Then I realized as the sand began to wash away, that God was washing away the top layers of my being and revealing my inner self, my center in Him. At that moment, I don’t think I realized the impact this would have later in my day. This created free space for me to be present with God, in preparation for what would come later.

sea landscape beach landmark — Photo by Zukiman Mohamad on Pexels.com

Later as my day emerged, more things began to surface affecting my peace and I found myself crying out to God and found myself centering my inner being in His presence unveiling a greater peace and comfort. As I am faced with a challenge ahead of me, this presence and act of centering my soul in a cry to “my King and my God,” prepares me with great strength, with peace, and with trust. These are the moments when my prayer life struggles yet strengthens and my faith grows leaps and bounds. It is where my heart meets the heart of Christ, and my pains, His wounds.

So I asked myself and I ask you, have you sat in silence lately, centering your being in Christ, crying out to Him from the deeper core of your heart, allowing Him to comfort, hold and whisper His will for you? Silence can be scary in a world of noise, but it can also be comforting and restful to heart that is in need.

Are you carrying your cross with joy?

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 27:34

Are you carrying your cross with joy? Where do you place your trust, in yourself, or God? Do you try to maintain chaotic control or do you allow God to maintain perfect control?

The other day, a dear friend, reminded me of bearing my crosses. I had allowed anxiety and fear to settle in. In doing so, I was not allowing Christ to help me carry that cross. I was relying on my own ability to carry it. I was not carrying it with joy but with anger. What she sent me to read was a reflection by Gus Lloyd iterating how bloody Christ’s cross was and that ours is also not pretty or easy. All the same, we should imitate Christ as we carry that cross and allow Him to help us. Over the years, I have had moments where I carry the cross with joy and moments when I don’t. When I look to the cross, to Christ and lay down my struggles at the foot of the cross, He gives me the strength and the overwhelming joy to carry it. That is an amazing feeling. So, I ask myself why do I still try to maintain my own chaotic control and try to carry it on my own?

My first response would be I’m human and I’m going to falter, especially to my old habits of self reliance. Another response I ponder on is that when I falter, my faith becomes stronger. In the midst of that struggle in my self reliance, God sends someone or something to remind me that it is He who I should look to as I carry this cross. Although it may still be a dirty, ugly cross, He will bring me “across the finish line” with joy running through my heart and soul, the joy of Christ.

It is not the cross that we should focus on but it is the one who is beside us within us that is bearing the weight of that cross. This is the focus of joy, not sorrow; happiness, not anger; trust, not anxiety.

Today as I read the Gospel reading with my girls, Mark 27:34 hit me like a train as it was my second reminder to not rely on myself but to pick up my cross with the love of Christ and carry it along side Him with all the splinters, rough edges, dirt, and blood. This is where my life shines and bears fruit. This is where my heart sings and rejoices. Today, I am filled with this reminder that my cross is where Christ delivers me and my relationship with Him is strengthened.

Are you ready to pick up your cross and follow Christ? Are you prepared to surrender your self will, self reliance? Are you ready to be filled with overwhelming joy and grace as you carry your cross, allowing Christ to bear the load with you?

Magnificence in the details

“Countless, unseen details are often the only difference between mediocre and magnificent.” Author unknown

What details in your life seemed mediocre at the time but brought about a magnificent encounter with your relationship with God once you realized His goodness, His presence and His grace?

What about in your trials and sufferings or in times that seem to not be going the way you planned? Have you wondered how sweeter they would be if you accept the fullness of God’s grace and surrender to His will in the midst of what is going on in your life?

Almost every morning, I begin my day with a walk to clear my mind and to ask that God be present with me in my day. When I begin my walk, I ask God to reveal to me what He would like for me to see on my walk. Sometimes He teaches me about life or connections in my life through observation of the ducks or the movement of the water. Today as I walked along the quiet path seeking God’s guidance, I noticed the remnant of a recent storm that cluttered the path with leaves, twigs and pine needles.

As I continued to walk, my mind kept wondering back to the debris on the path. How often in my own storms of life have I felt everything had been blown around, cluttered, out of “wack”? I walked back around to the spot on the path that appeared to have the most debris. As I looked down, I noticed the pine needles touching one another, the leaves over lapped each other and was reminded how intricate each detail of my life is connected. Even in the storms, there are connections to the beauty and joy in my life. In fact, it is through the rubbish that I am able to see the beauty and God’s goodness in my life. Often times, it isn’t until after the storm has passed when I see His grace.

So I sit and wonder how much sweeter would it be to see the fullness of His grace in the midst of the storm? Would I feel an immense joy? Would the suffering appear to be full of love? Would my heart feel alive? Would I be overcome with peace? What emotions would sweep over me? Would I experience the same feelings Jesus felt as He experienced His passion? If so, what would those feelings look like?

Whatever the feeling may be it would be Divine experiencing the grace that God gives me in that moment. To see the details, when I am in the middle of these moments of chaos and trials, through the eyes of God could only be magnificent compared to the mediocre view that I see when I don’t allow myself to receive His grace in these times of struggle.

Each day as I grow closer in relationship to God, I am beginning to pay attention to the small details in my life and see the beauty He reveals to me on my continued journey with Him. I truly see the magnificence in the smallest details of life as I become more aware. Through awareness, I can piece these details together like a puzzle and find meaning that speaks to my heart and my discernment in life.

Are you allowing yourself to be open to the fullness of God’s grace in the midst of whatever it is you are struggling with in life? Can you see the details that radiate His magnificent goodness present within these moments or are you caught up in the moment and only see the mediocre rubbish of the storm? Have you taken a short walk and experienced the tiniest detail in nature that speaks directly to your soul, revealing God’s love to you? If not, take a 10 minute walk and just pay attention to all that is around you, the rubbish on the ground, the butterfly on a blade of grass, even the tiniest ant walking along the sidewalk. You will be amazed at the connection and the beauty you discover.