The Trapdoor Society - The Good Samaritan
The Trapdoor Society - The Good Samaritan: "Julie's quote that got me started:
"To me, faith is about being called outside of our safety zones (our places of wealth and comfort) and into the risk of living for the other, of identifying with those who have not, whether or not we've got our spiritual p's and q's lined up."
This got me to thinking about what faith is to me. Freewrite follows:
To me faith is clinging on. It's holding on to God when I have no idea of the future or even of the next few days. Perhaps it's just where I am right now...a 2 year old who's good, but still active and needs a lot of attention, and a husband who works 10-12 hours a day, often 7 days a week and of course, the constant back problems, but my faith doesn't really consist of much action right now, outside of just holding on...to J to keep him out of trouble, to Ken for the little while we see each other each day, just so we know the other's there, to the stroller or cart when I go out to the store (only partly to keep J in, also to give me something to lean on if I need it), and to my sanity as we go through this period and I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass."
I look at J. He's not quite 2...his birthday is the 13th of next month, and I see the way he goes through the day. He knows that I'm there whenever he needs me, so he can be brave because of that. That's faith to me. I'm going to be there no matter what he does, and I'll even be closer when he's trying something new or scary. He knows that I'm here, and I've watched him grow because of it. Things that used to scare him, now might only scare him if Mommy or Daddy aren't close, or perhaps not scare him at all. Because he knows that we're there for him. This is faith.
It's not keeping him safe. This little boy likes to walk around the edge of the bed. If I act nervous, he'll even jump up and down. He's fallen several times, but then he gets up and does it again (no matter what Mommy wants). So faith isn't about staying safe.
His faith was tested one time. Ken sent J and me to NC about 3 weeks before Christmas. Ken joined us there a week later, but the damage had been done. J wouldn't even look at him for about a day. His Daddy had gone and hadn't returned when he was supposed to, and J was upset with him. I'm like this sometimes too. I expect God to be there, even when I'm the one who's left. And I get upset when He's not.
So, I guess my goal for my faith is to be like a little child. He's learning and growing, but most of all he's trusting. Not blind trust, not trust without some basis in fact, because since before he was born, I was there caring for J. But unconditional trust. Trust that says that if Mommy and Daddy are there, it's going to be okay."
"To me, faith is about being called outside of our safety zones (our places of wealth and comfort) and into the risk of living for the other, of identifying with those who have not, whether or not we've got our spiritual p's and q's lined up."
This got me to thinking about what faith is to me. Freewrite follows:
To me faith is clinging on. It's holding on to God when I have no idea of the future or even of the next few days. Perhaps it's just where I am right now...a 2 year old who's good, but still active and needs a lot of attention, and a husband who works 10-12 hours a day, often 7 days a week and of course, the constant back problems, but my faith doesn't really consist of much action right now, outside of just holding on...to J to keep him out of trouble, to Ken for the little while we see each other each day, just so we know the other's there, to the stroller or cart when I go out to the store (only partly to keep J in, also to give me something to lean on if I need it), and to my sanity as we go through this period and I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass."
I look at J. He's not quite 2...his birthday is the 13th of next month, and I see the way he goes through the day. He knows that I'm there whenever he needs me, so he can be brave because of that. That's faith to me. I'm going to be there no matter what he does, and I'll even be closer when he's trying something new or scary. He knows that I'm here, and I've watched him grow because of it. Things that used to scare him, now might only scare him if Mommy or Daddy aren't close, or perhaps not scare him at all. Because he knows that we're there for him. This is faith.
It's not keeping him safe. This little boy likes to walk around the edge of the bed. If I act nervous, he'll even jump up and down. He's fallen several times, but then he gets up and does it again (no matter what Mommy wants). So faith isn't about staying safe.
His faith was tested one time. Ken sent J and me to NC about 3 weeks before Christmas. Ken joined us there a week later, but the damage had been done. J wouldn't even look at him for about a day. His Daddy had gone and hadn't returned when he was supposed to, and J was upset with him. I'm like this sometimes too. I expect God to be there, even when I'm the one who's left. And I get upset when He's not.
So, I guess my goal for my faith is to be like a little child. He's learning and growing, but most of all he's trusting. Not blind trust, not trust without some basis in fact, because since before he was born, I was there caring for J. But unconditional trust. Trust that says that if Mommy and Daddy are there, it's going to be okay."
posted by Teeg | 10:18 AM
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