Longer Than Expected
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
Insight
My husband loves to build things. He doesn't work in construction or have professional training, but he grew up doing projects with his dad, so it's ingrained in who he is. I have grown to truly love and appreciate his hard work and the details that go into each project. Having little previous knowledge of how things are made, I used to get frustrated at how long the process would take. Once we landed on an idea, I wanted that idea to come to fruition almost immediately. If we were building a table, I wanted to eat dinner on it that night; if we were making a picnic shelter, I wanted to go ahead and plan a party that weekend. But somehow, projects always take longer than I expect.
Hebrews 11 often reminds me of a feel-good sports movie, it's a long list of people from the Old Testament who overcame and trusted God, and because of their faith, great things happened. I can't help but read it and feel charged up, ready to do something BIG! But when I look at what faith is, and the stories of all the different people highlighted, I'm struck by the small steps required along the way. The beginning of Hebrews 11 explains that faith is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It allows us to trust when things don't make sense and enables us to stand in awe of The One who spoke all things into existence. Faith isn't merely a one-time thing that produced immediate results; instead, it is a lifestyle.
Building projects are a little like growing our faith. We decide to trust God, and then we want to see BIG results immediately. However, having faith requires trust day after day, just like building a shed requires continually adding one board after the other. My husband doesn't put up one panel and then move on as if he is all done, nor do we choose to trust God one time and celebrate that our work is finished. We have to earnestly seek Him, day after day, through easy and hard times, through things that seem impossible and things that don't make sense. When we earnestly seek God, it allows Him to shape and mold our hearts as we continually put our faith in Him.
Reflection
Where do you find yourself frustrated and impatient with the small steps of faith and progress?
Prayer
God, thank you for this day and always being faithful. I pray that You would continue to shape and mold me as I chose to trust You day after day. I pray for strength to trust You with the big and the small things and faith to be the foundation on which I build my relationship with You. Amen.
Katie Robinson, Treasure Island's Curriculum Coordinator, wrote today's devotional.
