Our guest blogger tonight is Sara L. Foust. She's a fellow writer. We met in an ACFW online writing accountability group. I've come to love her and her writing, and I think you will, too. Be sure to leave her some encouraging comments and thanks for taking time from her blog to visit with us. Thanks in advance for loving on my friend.
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James 1:3- (KJV) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
This week in Sunday School our women’s class teacher gave each woman a gift bag containing a few goodies. One of the things in each bag was a rubber bracelet, each with a different word on it. She had no way of knowing who would get which bracelet.
When I pulled mine out, it said ‘FAITH’ and I immediately knew that the bracelet that was meant for me had indeed found me.
Some of the others said strength or courage or hope, but I have no doubt God knew I needed the one with faith written on it. Tears sprang to my eyes and I was reminded yet again of the trials I am facing right now. There are constant worries as a parent, wife, home-owner, teacher of my children, and foster-mom, yet there are also constant blessings.
There are two ways to look at a trial of life: as a burden or as a blessing.
Sometimes God intentionally gives us a trial in order to help us grow our faith, for often in our weakest moments, our moments of greatest fear and anxiety, it is then that we are able to fully surrender and humbly give our future to God.
It is in those times when we feel that we cannot take one more step that God is able to swoop in and lift us up, plant us on our feet, and help us walk forward.
Each time that we stumble and God comes to our rescue, it forges a stronger bond, a stronger faith in our belief of His ability. Each time that our faith is tested, and God proves He is in fact still there, it strengthens the very fabric of our faith.
Each time our faith is tried, we gain a little bit more ability to be patient for the next trial. And, once our patience has been added to, we are more perfect and entire. Patience performed by us in the face of turmoil fashions a more perfect being, a more complete version of ourselves. God wants us to learn to be patient and run (Hebrews 12) the race for Him.
He wants us to have enough faith in His omnipotent power that we can wait on Him to move!
Once we gain the ability to be patient, our faith will be tremendous, and we will be perfect and whole and feel that we lack nothing.
I may never get to that point, but I am going to try.
I am going to wear this bracelet for a while (even though I don’t normally wear jewelry) because I want to be reminded when I look at it that my faith is being tried, not broken. I want to be reminded that when I look out and see the next mountain of a trial looming, God going to help me through it and become a better servant for Him.
I am going to wear it to remind me that because of my faith in Him, each trial can become a blessing rather than a burden.
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You can read her blog at: https://findingthesilverliningsdaily.wordpress.com/
Follow Sara on twitter: https://twitter.com/Sfoust25
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