Faith on a Tightrope

 

I began this draft back in December. I find I still struggle with Faith.

Faith ... one of the fundamentals in a Christian walk. Sometimes it is as easy as breathing. Though, we cannot see the air in our lungs we are able to breathe without thinking. 

Other times, faith is more like walking on a tightrope - blind folded. You have to put one foot in front of the other, trusting. You not only have to trust, but you also have to let go of your fear. If you were to walk a tightrope and think only of how far the fall is ... You will fall. And sure the net will catch you ... or so you hope. Cynical me says, the net may be poorly made or not tied properly. And then my thoughts spiral to the various injuries that may occur in that scenario - no matter how ridiculous the scenarios may sound. And there it is. That pesky bit of realism based on either prior experience or what I have seen others go though. *With the tightrope example I can promise it isn't experience lol. Me? On a tightrope ... not for all the brisket in town.

I find I struggle with having constant faith. Prior experience often grips me and I give into fear quickly. To be fair, I think hospital bills have a tendency to do that to people. It's almost a business driver for hospitals. You get the bill and possibly, might have a heart attack.

I must remember and I hope you will too, that the things that we fear today will one day fade away. It doesn't mean we shouldn't plan ahead and prepare for what may come, but we cannot allow fear to cloud our minds.

A couple of days ago, I had a half a prayer ... Lord if only I could cut the exepnse of groceries this week I could ... I didn't finish the thought. I mean I have to eat. And then, yesterday, my sister calls and asks if we were okay on groceries. I hadn't told her we needed anything and yet she knew ... sisters do that. Intuition. Anyway, she buys me groceries, freeing up the income I needed to help cover a large unexpected expense. 

A bit later an old memory of sitting in a Sunday school classroom with adults who were debating about a Bible story returned to me. The scraps of memory prompted me to Google the story and I realized it was a nudge from our Heavenly Father. 

The prophet Elijah was directed by God to go to a town where a widow lived. The woman had a son and there was famine in the land. She was gathering sticks so she could prepare a final meal for herslef and her son as she only had enough flour and oil for one more meal. Elijah asked her for food and she told him of her situation. That she was expecting to starve to death. Think about that for a moment! A mother's greatest fear ... that not only will she die, but her child as well!

Elijah asked her to make him a loaf of bread and promised her the flour and oil would not run out before the famine ended. She obeyed. She trusted. She had FAITH. She made the loaves of bread and shared them with Elijah. As promised they had enough food to last the famine (1 Kings 17).

It hit me. My sister doesn't have much, yet she shared what she had. I had reacted in fear rather than faith. I need to be more like the widow who gave out of nothing, trusting in the Lord's provision. 

I  may be walking on a tightrope, but I am not without a safety net ... I do have the wisdom to not attempt to walk on a tightrope. I have all the grace and balance of penguin. I will continue my walk of faith on the ground.

I would want to encourage you Dear Reader, to walk in faith, even when you can't see the safety net. God has you in the palm of His hand and He is never letting go. So, let go of any fear, breathe and embrace Faith.