Faith

I believe that many people struggle, when faced with challenges, to understand how great and how strong our God truly is. I know this is something I have had difficulty with, but am finally coming to a place in my life where I see Him in every moment. And, if I dont, then I remind myself to.

I have began to notice that it is so easy to have faith in situations that other people are going through, and to be able to speak life into them, when they are filled with doubt or fear, but that it isn't so easy to do for ourselves.

Sometimes God will remove things in our life in order to teach us things, give us wisdom, or help us to grow. What I have learned so far, through being away from the familiar, is that God is so much stronger than I had ever TRULY grasped, and He is so present in my life, with every breath I take and every word I utter.

I have also realized that, though He sometimes wants us to be "alone" with Him, He will also place specific people in our lives that we can, and will, have fellowship with. As Maya Angelou wrote, " Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone."

God allows us to have fellowship so that we can pour love and truth into one another; so that we can build each other up to such a point that this world can never tear us down. It is so important that we recognize these friendships and people in our lives.

I have grown to appreciate more the gift of family, and recognize how much I love each and every one of them. I am my mother's daughter,  and I couldn't be happier about that. We may have some different views, but we have the same tender heart, and i am blessed to have been raised to love the way that she loves. 

But, I am also my father's daughter, and I know how to stand on my own two feet and pick myself up, dust myself off, and focus on what is important in the moment.

God definitely has a way of showing us the things within us that need to change, and the gifts that need to be more developed and strengthened.  He does this, more often than not, through the people He places in our lives, be it family or friends.

Every experience we go through is so important, and must happen, in order to get us to where He has planned for us to go. Some situations are difficult, and some are not. The real truth is, no matter the context of the experience, it is going to be something beautiful, because it will help lead you to the life God has planned for you.

Sometimes this is scary; sometimes we don't want to be open to the life He has planned, because we fear failing. Not only failing ourselves, but failing God. But how wonderful is it when we recognize that God isn't going to let us fail? He wouldn't have designed and set up this path for us, if He wasn't going to give us the strength and wisdom to succeed in it.

So strive for the things that scare you, and reach for the things God has placed on your heart that might not make sense to you, or may be intimidating right now. I promise you, if you dive in and trust, God will not let you down.

Jesus, I trust in You.