There was a time when I thought that faith cleaned things up. Faith was a straight line to Eternity. As my life is unfolding, God continues to grow me and the messier and sometimes ugly, my faith gets.
But the messy and ugly are good…
I don’t want to go back to my untested faith.
It was ignorant. It was prideful. It didn’t bring glory to the God who saved me.
FAITH is not a sweet hymn sung softly.
It is the reckless abandon of turning a life outside of my own control into His hands.
FAITH is not my Sunday morning church attendance.
It’s shining Christ through the ugly, broken pieces of my everyday.
FAITH isn’t planting a copy of your white-bread church in a foreign land.
It’s building up the people of that nation and empowering to minister to their neighbors knowing that they are fully equipped by the one who created them.
FAITH isn’t a pristine bible sitting in it’s appointed place on a bookshelf.
It’s a life manual, falling apart at the seams while you use it’s life-giving words to hold together your broken life.
FAITH isn’t a formula for a pain-free life.
It’s the hope you cling to when you’re completely unglued.
FAITH isn’t looking like a Christian by your deeds or your dress.
It’s looking towards Christ to make beauty from your ashes and turn the filthy rags of your good deeds into something for His glory.
FAITH isn’t waiting for the sinner to clean up and fly straight.
It’s rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty as you stand shoulder to shoulder helping them rake out the muck. Because you are also a sinner, made holy and clean ONLY through Him.
FAITH isn’t just the peaceful baby in the manger.
It’s the same Jesus that dined with sinners, forgave the adulteress, welcomed the children, threw over the tables in the temple, called the decaying back to life, turned away from those making passionless sacrifices, and spilled His blood on a cross, between two criminals…
A L L . F O R . U S
I love this so very much!!!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Laurie.