Lately I’ve been realizing how difficult it can be to truly have faith in God. It’s not a one-time decision. It’s a decision we must make daily, sometimes multiple times a day, to trust God and have faith in His higher ways. I’m reminded of a song by Swoope called “Faith Walk.” In it there is a line that goes: “the faith walk is not for the faint-hearted.” And ain’t that the truth. Walking by faith is not an easy endeavor. It’s about taking one step at a time, moving forward as God illuminates your path from moment to moment. You don’t get all of the information, just the bits that you need to keep you moving along.
No, walking by faith is not easy. Keeping the faith, while you’re in the midst of your journey, can be even harder. Sometimes we feel lost and confused, but rather than wait for God to move, we jump back to safety. We want to trust God, but we’ve been waiting so long for a new job, or a new relationship, or a new something, and we just go back to the old, the familiar, the comfortable. We give up right before our blessing comes. In order to step into all that God has for us, we have to not only walk in faith, but we have to keep the faith through the darkness, the confusion, the challenges and the trials.
The faith walk is for the strong hearted – those who refuse to give up on God even when things aren’t going their way. The faith walk is for the strong hearted – those who resolve to get back up after every time they may fall in life. The faith walk is for the strong hearted – those who know that they don’t need to know everything in order to get ready for the next thing God is calling them to do. They simply need to be ready to take steps in faith and praise God along the way.
Over the summer I had faith that God would provide a teaching job for me. I had no doubt that he would provide, I just didn’t know exactly what the job was going to look like. This week school started and I began my new journey in the job that God blessed me with. I am working as an Education Specialist at a charter high school. I am really amazed at how my current position is a perfect blend of my teaching experience and my previous work with children with special needs. I have the honor of case managing a group of students with IEPs, making sure that they are getting what they need in their regular classrooms and reaching their individual goals. I get to push in and support in two 10th grade English classes (my favorite subject!). And lastly, I get to teach a few Academic Support classes, where the groups are small and I’m really able to give targeted, individualized support to students. I’m very excited for the year ahead and extremely grateful for this opportunity.
But let me tell you, my faith walk didn’t stop the moment I got this job. If anything, it has become even more strenuous as I have been praying daily for God to be with me as I learn a new role, a new school and new students. I have to keep my faith strong, believing that I am in the right place, where God wants me, even though I know there will be challenges along the way. It won’t be a cake walk but nothing with God ever is. I spent a lot of my life thinking that if it was easy, without any problems or conflicts, it was probably from God. But now I know better. God asks us to do the difficult things because He knows they will require us to lean on Him for support. Difficulty produces faith while easy stifles it.
No, the faith walk is certainly not for the faint-hearted. But you can take small steps of faith to build up your heart strength. You can grow stronger in your faith but there are no shortcuts. You have to keep your faith in God through all the ambiguous moments and be patient enough for him to move in your life. He will always come through. And when he does, give all the glory to God, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself for the next part of your faith walk. As long as you are alive and walking with God, you will have to put your faith to the test. It is because God loves you and doesn’t want you to spend a moment of your life without Him. And if you’re like me, it is truly in the challenges that you seek God the most, because in those moments you know that only God can do what you are not able to. Walk in faith and renew your spirit of faithfulness every day. Keep your faith strong no matter what you are up against, and do not grow weary. God will provide everything you need to make it. Keeping the faith isn’t easy. The faith walk is not a cake walk. But take heart. You are a warrior. A child of God. Nothing is impossible with Him.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
YOU increase my faith in the faithfulness of our God. Thank you for your faithfulness.