Faith over Fear…

Wednesday Wisdom 🙂

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Inspiration this week comes from the book of Joshua 1:9

“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

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I’ve probably shared this verse before as it is one that I have to be very intentional about. Fear is both very real and very powerful. Sometimes it keeps us from doing the things that we shouldn’t do, but often it keeps us from doing the things that we should. For me, the role that fear plays in my daily life is contingent on the strength of my faith. The stronger my faith, the less fear and worry affect me. Likewise, the weaker my faith, the more fear and worry wear at me.

The key question is: How much do I trust God and his love for me? 

Life is hard. Sometimes things happen that leave doubts in our minds as to the greatness of God’s power and his love for us. 2019 taught me that while I can’t change circumstances, I can choose how I react to them. I am in control of the attitude of my heart. Gratefulness is a habit that is fueled by hope. When hope comes alive, fear falls apart. I think Paul (in his letter to Romans 15:13) does an awesome job of addressing it:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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Over the past several months, I’ve experienced this on a deeper level. I decided to give my fear about my leg to Jesus. I handed it over in prayer, wiped the metaphorical dust off my feet, and quit worrying about it. I’ve gone back to living – packing my faith and knowing that with God all things are possible. I try to greet each day with an open mind and a steadfast dedication to trusting that Jesus is not just the best coach but also my biggest fan 🙂

I still put in the work that I know will lead to healing, but I don’t let the daily pain and stiffness cause fear and discouragement. Instead, I focus on the freedom found in being strong and courageous. This week, I attained a couple of monumental stepping stones.

• I rode my horse.
• I ran a mile on the high school track.

I’d done neither since I fell and broke my leg, and many days over the past 14 months I have wondered if I ever would again. While I believe that time continues to heal my body, I also think that intentionally strengthening my trust in Jesus enabled my little victories. I stopped fearing, and started truly believing. Both riding Dandy and running were physically uncomfortable for my leg, but in my heart I knew that I could do them. I trusted that Jesus would carry me when I fell short, and that brought me a new level of strength and courage. Next time, it’ll be easier and hopefully someday it will become pain-free.

This week I am reminded that God asks me to be bold in my faith. As I give him my fear, He replaces it with courage. My girls have this saying, “Go big or go home.” I think that’s essentially what God is telling us in the above verse from Joshua. If you believe, you’ve got to BELIEVE — to live like you trust and be fueled by the hope that comes through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It’s rarely a comfortable process, but I’m not sure that we ever truly live if we don’t embrace it.

How can you be more bold in your faith this week?

Holy Sass…

Wednesday Wisdom 🙂

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Inspiration this week comes from the Book of Esther (the entire book) but specifically 4:13-14

Modecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

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The book of Esther fascinates me. It is a story of a young woman with great courage and devote faith who unselfishly and bravely followed God’s call in order to save the Jewish people from political persecution during the reign of Xerxes (approximately 486-465 B.C.). In addition to the story being a profile in human courage, it also demonstrates how God masterfully works – in and through each of us – to care for his people.

Esther has what I like to joyfully refer to as: Holy Sass. She embraced God’s wisdom and savvy and used it to bravely destroy a selfish plot of mass murder and destruction. She did it with grace, whit, and just enough sassy attitude that she bested an evil scheme and changed the course of history. She gives the term “Girl Power” a whole new level of meaning 😉

Sass is an interesting word with a variety of connotations. My favorite farmer and I are blessed with three daughters. Over the years, we’ve known a bit of sass in our house. In fact, when Ashley Grace was about 8 she decided to try a bit of disrespectful sass (in the form of eye rolling at inopportune times)– something that her younger sisters quickly picked up on. That led to a new rule – 10 pushups for each eye roll or sign of disrespect. Twelve years later, all three of my girls kick out some impressive push-ups, but more importantly they learned a lesson in discretion.

The good kind of sass – the Holy Sass – is the courage that comes from God to respond with honor and strength when he calls for you.

It’s not a disrespectful “eye-rolling” sass, it’s a boldness and courage that leads to active faith.

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Ashley Grace, Megan and Karyn – circa 2006

I spend a lot of time around girls. I often see a quiet obedience in them. But as they reach the teenage and young adult years, I also watch them struggle with boldness and courage. I think a lot of that stems from an inherent lack of confidence paired with a faith that has yet to reach maturity. I used to be that girl. In fact, some days I still am.  It’s hard to truly and consistently trust God. It’s difficult to believe that you are strong enough – smart enough – worthy enough – to make a meaningful difference in this huge world that He created. It’s frightening to think that God trusts you enough to ask you to fight for Him.

Esther did something incredibly important as she prepared to act on Modecai’s message. She packed her faith and looked up – spending three days (in community with others) fasting and praying for courage and direction from God before she went to see the King. She didn’t act rashly and she didn’t act alone. As a result, God’s grace carried her through the call and enabled all of the pieces to come together.

In my own faith journey, I’ve learned to both listen and pray before I act. Honestly, I used to be terrible at this but God finds creative ways to grow us 🙂 Some days I still struggle with discretionary boldness and courage, but I am learning that prayer helps me to pack my Holy Sass. It not only ensures that I am doing what God asks of me – it also brings me peace and confidence that my actions are Godly.

We worship a good and a great God. He asks us to believe. He’s the author of Holy Sass. In Malachi 3:10 he tells us, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” Each time that we believe and we accept that God has uniquely placed us for good, we respond to this verse from Malachi and put Him to the test. We give Him the ability to deliver us and to deliver others – Just as Esther did so many years ago.

I pray that each one of us will look up to find the Holy Sass that God grants – that we will act with boldness and courage in faith, worshiping the One who holds our hearts as we hold His hand.