In the past, when I thought of “having faith’, I thought of it in general terms, for my life, as a whole. I didn’t think of faith in a particular context. Either I had faith, or I didn’t.
It is, however, possible to be “full of faith” in a particular area of our lives yet lack faith in a completely different area. That doesn’t mean we lack faith overall – we simply lack faith in a particular area.
Too many times I have called into question my own faith in God (and allowed others to do the same) because I felt I was not “full of faith” for something or other. Somehow, I felt (or was made to feel) that my faith didn’t measure up.
More and more, however, I have come to realise that it is possible to experience varying degrees of faith in different areas of our lives. And that’s okay. Normal even.
If we liken our faith to a muscle, and faith in different areas of our lives to different muscles: when we exercise, we may be able to target more than one muscle in our bodies at a time but we cannot target every muscle effectively every time we exercise. So, it is with our faith.
At different times in our lives, our faith in different areas will inevitably be challenged as we trust God to intervene on our behalf or come alongside us to strengthen us in our circumstances.
Many times, it is not a bad situation that inspires us to greater faith, simply a desire for more — greater spiritual insight, spiritual revival in our communities, a healthy marriage, to be excellent in our jobs, better grades, a house with a garden, a family holiday. There are many and varied opportunities to exercise our faith muscle, on a daily basis.
But when we look at the landscape of our lives, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by what needs our attention, everything that needs to be done and what needs to change in our lives. As one who is easily overwhelmed, I find it helpful to focus on the “season” I am in.
My children are currently on holiday from school and because we as parents are still working, and for the most part, working from home, it has been a juggle to manage our time and responsibilities while also making it fun for them. As a result, life looks a little different for now and our priorities have shifted. Each morning, I trust God for a special “moment” with my family while still “showing up” for my job. That’s all. Other things can wait. Next week when schools reopen, our days will look different, and our priorities will shift again. And so, our lives move through different seasons. Each giving rise to new opportunities for what I like to refer to as “faith goals”.
God has given to each of us a measure of faith (Romans 12 v 3). It is a gift from Him to us, to be exercised daily as we live out our lives and minister His love to the world around us.
What season of life are you in, and what are you trusting God for right now?
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