Grain of Faith

One of my favorite books I have ever read is a little picture book by Lee Strobel. It is called "The Case for Faith." It's a small version of a well-known book that he wrote called "The Case for Christ." In it is a quote that I have had to rely on a lot lately. Haha today I caved and put it as my facebook status, i know... lame.

"You can have very little faith in thick ice and it will hold you up just fine; you can have enormous faith in thin ice and you can drown. It's not the amount of faith you can muster that matters up front. It may be tiny, like a mustard seed. But your faith must be invested in something solid."

A lot has been going on in my head as I have begun to prepare for this trip. Not just in the last couple weeks, but several months. Normally you would think 2 months isn't that long, and wonder why I or anyone would make this a big deal. And in the long run its not. But there is something bigger that God is doing right now.

There has been many times since I have become a Christian that I have struggled with having faith in a God that I can't see (and by that I mean my "worldly concept of "seeing physical attributes". Believing him in things, when I don't know what the turnout will be. Trusting him that he will provide, even when the amount is so big.

But he is always faithful. Time and time again, he has been there for me. You'd think I would have mastered faith by now for all the things he has done for me. For example: Just a few months ago I prayed and prayed God would provide for this trip this summer. I remember praying that I would have the faith to believe he will, and I could only soak up a little of me to believe that $5,500 dollars really would come in. and it did. Through all my supporters, I was able to raise the money to go this summer. Praise God. He is so faithful.

There is a blog that I follow all the time of a missionary from Tennessee named Katie (click here to view her blog), she is only 20 years old, and lives in Uganda and takes care of 13+ orphaned girls. One time she quoted this:

"There is a common misconception that I am courageous. I will be the first to tell you that this is not actually true. Most of the time, I am not brave and I have little faith. But I believe in a God who will use me even when I am not."

then she goes on to say, "Most mornings, before I even get out of bed I am overwhelmed with His goodness, with His plain for my life; I stand in awe of the fact that He could entrust me with so much. Most days, I don't have much of a plan. I don't always know where this is going. I can't see the end of the road, but here is the great part: Courage is not about knowing the path. It is about taking the first step. It is about Peter, getting out of the boat. I do not know my five year plan; even tomorrow will probably not go as I have planned. I am thrilled and I am terrified, in a good way. So some call it courage, some call it foolish. I call if Faith. I chose to get out of the boat. To take the next step. Sometimes I walk straight into His arms. More often, I get scared and look down and stumble. Sometimes I almost completely drown. And through it all, He never lets go of my hand. "

I am so honored to believe in a God that will use me even when I am weak. I am privileged to believe in a God that will provide in immeasurable ways even when I have the faith of a mustard seed. I am so grateful that I believe in a God that loves me unconditionally even when he has seen the depths of my heart. I'm thankful that I'm able to put my faith in someone who is "solid" just as Lee Strobel quoted in the key to faith. He will always be there.

love you all!