Paychecks, health and relationships represent just a few things I’ve placed too much trust in. I can continue the list with government and educational systems. Each one, at some time, has disappointed me. Each one tempts me with my trust.
All in Faith/Trust
Shoe on the Other Foot
The front door slammed and there in the entryway stood my little brother, tear-streaks lining his muddy face. He was holding one tennis shoe, standing in saggy tube socks.
Looking Back
How about cleaning out some of those bins full of journals?My husband had a legitimate point. He had moved the bins of Bible studies and notebooks from attic to attic during the last fifteen years we’d been married. I lifted the lid and memories flooded my mind. Journaling in my childhood bedroom. Scribbling away under a lush Magnolia tree at Baylor. Pouring out my heart on lonely nights in my small apartment. That bubbly handwriting of my youth eventually gave way to chicken scratch that makes my children cringe today.
Trusting
I play a little game with my son where I ask him how much I love him. He replies in numbers. The joke is that he usually says, “zero” or “one.” Then I correct him with the craziest number I can make up, which is undoubtedly unscientific, followed by tickles and laughter. There is no number that can express quantitatively how much I love my children. Though we play silly games, my son knows that I love him. He believes it. He trusts me, he trusts in my unfailing love.
Reframe
Have you ever had a conversation that helped you reframe a current circumstance? Recently my husband’s comments about a difficult situation provided me much-needed perspective.
What If?
A month or so before a particular day, I had made arrangements to take off work to go to a meeting at church. In my excitement that morning, I chose to leave my house early.
Are We There Yet?
My mother and sister were artisans when it came to counted cross-stitch. Carefully and meticulously, they added stitch by tiny stitch until the blank canvas was transformed into a stunning masterpiece.
The Baggage Keeper
How easy is it to release a suitcase onto the conveyor belt at a busy airport check-in counter with the possibility of never seeing it again? Airport baggage handlers are trained and responsible to correctly tag luggage for airline flights, but there are no guarantees that suitcases will travel on the same flight and be available to reclaim on the other end.
The Blueprint
As a young wife and mother, I thought I had the perfect blueprint for our family. My intention was to have two children. No more. Within a few years we had two wonderful little boys. When I learned that I was expecting baby number three, I was extremely upset.
Practicing What You Preach
Tucked in the middle of the book of Jeremiah is a marvelous story of faith. Jeremiah repeatedly preached God’s word: Judah’s rejection of God would lead to their defeat by the nation of Babylon. He proclaimed Zedekiah, Judah’s king, would be taken captive, and Jerusalem would be destroyed.
God's Enabling Call
God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, a voice of truth to a nation who desperately needed to listen to God. God’s call to Jeremiah was clear. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).
Are We There Yet?
My mother and sister were artisans when it came to counted cross-stitch. Carefully and meticulously, they added stitch by tiny stitch until the blank canvas was transformed into a stunning masterpiece.
Credited Righteousness?
As I grumbled over my credit card bill this morning, I thought that I well deserved every charge on it. I had received something, and the bill reflected what I must pay for it! But in my Bible Study today, I see this concept of credited righteousness, and I wonder why this wording is used three times in Scripture for Abraham. What is the big deal?
Standing Alone
I checked the mirror one more time. Veil in place, dress smoothed, no lingering candy in my teeth from the last-minute snack attack with my bridesmaids.
Trust or Unbelief?
Are these new verses to you? Not likely. Many of us have these verses memorized, and we even classify these as all-time favorites. These words are truth, but it is difficult for us to really live them out.
Trust in the LORD - to make your paths straight
Listening, listening, always listening for the word of the Lord: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). God can and will make my paths straight.
Trust in the LORD - acknowledge Him in all you ways
Decisions, decisions. When the bonds of trust between humans have been broken, changes in your life will force choices out into the open.
Trust in the LORD - not your own understanding
Ladies, I profess utter and complete trust in the Lord with all my heart, yet what a fickle fool I am when things go awry.
Trust in the LORD - with all your heart
It would be naïve of me, ladies, to think that everyone was privy to the years of innocent trust I experienced. Life is not always so kind.
Trust-In the Lord
Trust weighs heavy on my heart this year. Where to begin? My growing up years did not lack for trust. I felt secure and confident in my family, with friends, at school, in sports.