Having a little faith

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves "Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Mark 4:39 NIV

It has been a little bit since I posted, we got an amazing gift from God and everything we had been stressing about was resolved.  So today I am thinking to myself how powerful God really is. I mean who do you know that can shout outside and say "Be still" and then the wind stops? Unless they are controlling the wind machine. And I have yet to meet a person who loves me and forgives me for everything I have ever and will ever do. I have a mom that loves me and siblings that love me, and an amazing husband that loves me. But, on those days when I am just really not lovable, and when I repeatedly mess up and not listen.... I wouldn't have a friend in the world if I acted like that all the time.  But I would have God. I can't count the amount of times I have walked away and said "I can do it alone" or "I'm not going to listen, because I don't want to." And yet, every turn he's there, waiting patiently for me to go the right way.

In our family we have a saying, "God gives us a brick to the face." Sounds horrific I know, but stay with me. During those times when I am not lovable, and just flat out not listening, I can usually count on running into a brick wall. Things get harder, I don't get what I was expecting or wanting and life gets a little uncomfortable. Then if I continue, life gets REALLY hard, and things totally spin out of control and that is a brick to the face, when I have nowhere to look but up. These are not pleasant times, and life is really a hard thing to wake up to everyday. But, once I walk around the corner and grab the hand of God and tell him "I'm sorry, I messed up." I feel the peace, the forgiveness and things start getting a little better, a little easier. And that is the forgiveness of God, I honestly think he gives us trials and we are at a fork in the road, one way to the world and the other to God. Which one we choose really sets the tone for our lives. I know people who constantly take the world road and they have a lot more than I do, they work half as hard as I do and have twice as much. Once I realized that wasn't what life was about, It's about finding contentment in the things you have and being thankful to God for all he has given, I personally have been a lot happier. Keeping my focus on God and not the problems and people around me has made a big difference.

Now my goal with all of this, is to avoid these bricks to the face, and these wake up calls. Now I have no delusion of life on easy street, he flat out tells us "you will have trouble." But I don't want to find him hiding behind the corner where I stuck my faith, I want to walk with him daily and have a hand to hold during my trials. Right now, there are quite a few lingering questions about trials, and a lot of growth needed in the faith area, but I'm working on it. Oh, what it would be to sit down with him for an hour and find out what life has in store. But we don't have the map, we have the key, the Bible, we have the guide, God, and we have to have a little faith. Listen to him when it's hard to listen and follow when it's the hardest to follow, and trust when you are sure you can do it better.

Faith