Feet of Faith

As I sat here today asking God what my readers needed to hear, I felt some of you may be struggling to takes steps of faith in trusting God in different areas of your life.  So I want to share a glimpse of what daily life for me has been like in the last year and a half.

This is not something I would normally share.  Honestly, I hate talking about my health struggles.  I truly enjoy life more when I can go about my life focusing on all that is right and good verses all that could be better or isn’t well.  That hope and focus has gotten me through some pretty heavy stuff so I’m stickin’ to it. :D

In brief for those of you who don’t know, I had a 9 hour extensive surgery for severe endometriosis in December of 2013.  I touch more on this in my chapter of the book compilation I recently was a part of so I’m keeping it super short here.  During that surgery the doctors had to ressect my bowel because the endometriosis was kinking it and although it wasn’t causing trouble at that time, the doctors assumed it would in the future.  Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  Looking back, I don’t know if we should’ve went ahead with this part of the procedure but we trusted the professionals so we did.

A long, complicated and difficult story short, I now have daily recurring intestinal troubles.  I struggle on a daily basis and am in severe pain numerous times a day, almost every day.  This has improved some so I can thankfully say it isn’t usually all day long as it was for ten months or more after the surgery.  Sadly, but again thankfully, Andy and I have learned how to 90% of the time plan around my bowels. Embarrassing and heartbreaking to share, let me tell ya...  

We plan meals around them, whether we can or can’t take trips around them, outings around them and every grocery store trip around them.  And even still, they persist at times to torment us and publicly humiliate me throwing me into fits of pain at the most inopportune times.  So we pray.  And pray.  And pray.  And God gets us through.  Every time.  Not always how we’d wish.  And sometimes there are tears.  Sometimes there is anger.  Sometimes there is relief but always there is gratitude.  Gratitude that He did get me through, that I’m not in a hospital laid up, that by faith I have been able to resume some normal daily life activities, etc.

So… why have I just told you all of this?  I’m wondering the same!  Ha.  I tell you this because I sense in my Spirit that someone or several someones are struggling to put one foot in front of the other in faith and trust God in every step of the journey.  

Clearly with planner & phone in hand, this is before I learned what true rest was. I was in progress but had not yet fully learned to enjoy the life that is given me.

Faith doesn’t always look like what we have been known to envision it to be.  It’s not always big and grand.  It’s not always something like leaving all behind and heading to the mission field.  Sometimes, it’s trusting God to help you serve at church every Sunday regardless of social anxiety brought on by your health struggles.  Sometimes it’s speaking and believing that Christ already paid for your healing, etc. on the cross.  Sometimes it’s simply going to the grocery store, out with friends, etc.  Sometimes it’s choosing not to discuss your trial unless you are speaking the Word of God over it.  Sometimes it’s simply being obedient in graciousness through tithing, opening your home, extending a helping hand, etc.  For Andy and I, these are the things that have been steps of faith in this last year and a half.

And sometimes it comes as wisdom while you do nothing at all!!!  Wow, did I just say that!?  I live in America… that is taboo! But yes, I did just say that.  God commanded us to take a Sabbath for so many wonderful reasons… maybe you/we need to rest more and trust He can help us get it all done anyways.  (A secret for ya!... you usually get better quality production out of a rested body, mind and spirit… so SIT DOWN for a bit, quiet your mind and just be with God… go hide in the closet if you have to ;) )  Ok, where was I, oh yes…

What I am saying is faith doesn’t look the same for all of us!  Noone knows what you are struggling with or believing for or have heard from the Lord unless you or God have shared it with them.  So we need to care more about what God thinks of our faith than those around us… whether that be your spouse, your pastor, your friends and family, etc.  God knows your heart… and remember His ways are greater than ours, so you, I and others may not always get it… but that doesn’t make it any less a step of faith.

Steps of faith you may choose to take after reading this… Sit with God for 10 quiet minutes and ask Him what steps of faith He desires for you to take, while trusting that He’ll make up for that time you sacrificed.  On that note… find areas of your day that you could incorporate more of those quiet moments alone with Him.  Maybe for you it also looks like pushing through an anxiety/fear and inviting people into your home or serving in an area you feel God is asking you to.  As your children go to sleep tonight maybe it’s a prayer of faith in trusting them into God’s hands… or maybe it’s your spouse you need to surrender?  I don’t know what this current season in your life looks like or what God is calling you to trust Him with but I do know He is gently saying, “Surrender my sweet child.  I love you.  I have you.”

Father, I pray that whomever you had this message for, reads this and receives this.  May they sense your peace leading them to take that step or seat of faith and find their rest and victory in you and you alone!  In Jesus Name, Amen.



Note:  I’ll be sharing more on what I like to call "Selahs and Sabbaths" in my 2nd book compilation coming out in 2016, so if this struck a cord with you, watch for this and more blogs on this as well.  It’s time we pause and ponder.