Persevering Despite Obstacles

The other day someone close to me asked me, “Do you really believe what you write? Do you really believe that God can and will redeem? Do you really believe that He can take broken pieces and restore them?”

I will admit, at first (and second and third) I was not very pleased with the question. I perceived a challenging tone of voice from the inquirer, and it bothered me. My answer was this. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do believe what I write. Regrettably, however, I do not always believe it consistently or perfectly. I struggle, too, but I do believe the truths that God has revealed to me.”

Perhaps this persons attempt was not to insult me, but it did make me stop and think – a lot.

You see, dear reader, on this blog and in other venues, my desire is to write and share the truths that God shows me through His wise and precious Word and through the circumstances around me that He has uses to help me visualize the truth. (I am very much a visual learner!) And although I do believe it, unfortunately, I do not always believe it perfectly. I flounder around from time to time. I let the obstacles of doubt and fear and anger and resentment get in the way, but when I see them looming ahead (or in my head) I try to stop, take a deep breath and remember the truth. God’s truth.

I believe the truth because I have lived it and continue to live it out on this journey that God has me on. I know for sure that Jesus is real, for God has taken this truth and hand knit it into the fiber of my being stitch by stitch. It is part of me, and cannot be taken from me.

I wish I believed more consistently and perfectly, but I know that I don’t and that helps to keep me humble and dependent on the Lord. In the meanwhile, I persevere and not give up out of my love for Him. I trust that He will use my perseverance to help me face the obstacles that are in my way and crawl over them, through them and around them. Perseverance strengthens my faith.

In James 1:2-4 says “Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking any thing.”

I will not give up believing in God’s truths, and my prayer is that you will not, either. There will be times when our faith is tested, either by circumstances or by people. Do not be frustrated when you do not do it “perfectly” but rather persevere and run the race, overcoming the obstacles and growing in your faith.