The other night Tommy and I went on a short and easy “hike” to go watch the sunset. This is a regular thing that we do together and it’s my favorite honestly! If you’re ever bored, just go find a mountain;) On the way back down, it was pretty dark, the moon was out and it was just me and him in the middle of the desert. This might seem like an exciting adventure for some of you, but I was getting a bit concerned. I have the hardest time seeing in the dark. I cannot see more than a few steps in front of me, and I can definitely not make out details. I believe the reason for my issue is that I never wear sunglasses during the day…in the intense Arizona sun. Smart. Don’t follow in my footsteps folks, sunglasses are important!

Anyways, as important as sunglasses are, that is not what I am trying to get at. 😉 Most of the way to the car I used my phone flashlight but Tommy took my hand, told me to turn it off, and told me to trust him and he would not let me trip on anything. The rest of the walk was much easier and saved me from getting dizzy from looking at my feet the whole time.

I think this is a beautiful representation of our walk of life. So often we try to light our own way and we become anxious when we cannot see what is ahead of us. Meanwhile, God is right beside us asking us to just take his hand and trust him.

The Christian life would not require faith if we could always see ahead of us, always knew the outcome, always knew the plan. There would be no need for God, for trust, for prayer, for hopes, for dreams, for obedience and so many other things. We were not called to walk by sight, but called to walk by faith. When we bravely surrender our plans, our pride, and our independence, and choose to walk by faith, placing our trust and hope in Him; growth happens, chains break, and peace fills our hearts.

When we walk by faith, we gain new perspective and hope. Walking by faith, and not sight, causes us to bravely look ahead, taking our eyes off our own mess and looking to God’s promises. His promise to give us hope and a future. To protect us and not to harm us. (Jeremiah 29:11)

When we walk by faith, we receive rest and peace. When we place our trust in God, it suddenly takes the pressure off of ourselves. It is no longer up to us and our own strength to fight battles, or to have all the answers. We can rest knowing that the God who can move mountains and calm storms has a plan and will lead us in his perfect timing to where we need to be.

When we walk by faith, patience develops. We stop rushing the process and forget all about getting to one destination. We begin to enjoy the journey and the waiting. When we choose to confidently believe in God and his promises for our lives, we stop trying to measure up and do everything within the timetable of the world and under the pressure we receive from others.

The Bible mentions faith and endurance together, and it is no accident. You can not have one without the other. For we know that, in this life, we will face many trials of all kinds and they will grow our endurance AND our faith. The book of James talks about patience in suffering. Developing this patience and endurance will grow us in wisdom and maturity.  (James 1:2-5)

One last thought about faith; it must be active. After all, we are called to WALK by faith, not sit and observe faith. For our faith to be made complete, our actions must work with it. In the pursuit of a deeper relationship with God and his promises in our lives, we must boldly take steps and make some moves! We must work and serve wholeheartedly for the Lord. We must seek and pursue with every bit of endurance and strength we have.

James 2: 14-17 (MSG) Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?