Faith is easy to talk about but much harder to live out. Sure, I have faith in God. I believe He made the universe and all that is in it. He sent His only son as a sacrifice to cover my sins. I am confident that when I die, I will go to heaven. But in order to be truly faithful, my actions have to line up with these beliefs.
Letting God Take The Wheel
Faith is defined as having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. When it comes to certain areas of my life, I would rather be in the driver’s seat than trust that God knows what is best. It is a daily struggle for me to let go and allow God to lead. I am happy to let God take care of the little things in my life, but when it comes to the big ticket items, I want all the control.
Every year, I choose a theme to focus on for my life. My theme for this year is “It is well with my soul”. I decided prior to this year that I would be content with whatever God had planned. It’s a scary theme for me because I am choosing ahead of time to give up control over the circumstances that may arise this year and allow God to take care of it. This year is not even halfway over and my faith has been stretched beyond anything I could have imagined.
Putting My Faith To The Test
It is through the most difficult time that we learn to lean on God and trust in Him. This doesn’t happen all at once in one giant epiphany; it happens moment by moment.
Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In a matter of months, I went from being an organized, focused and energetic wife and mother to a mere shadow of my former self. I was in pain constantly and unable to get relief. My mind was fuzzy and I wasn’t able to remember things like what I had for dinner the night before or my kids’ birthdays. The pain and fatigue was so bad that all I could do was lie on the couch wrapped in an electric blanket and heating pads like a giant human burrito. My life had taken a U-turn and I was not happy about it.
In the beginning, I was mad at God. I would constantly ask (in my best whiny voice), “Why me?” After all, I had a ministry to run and missions trips to go on, not to mention raising a family. My questioning eventually turned to “Now what?” I found comfort in scriptural truths as well as some key women that God placed in my life at that time. It was through this process that I came to the realization that when I was well, I kept stepping on God’s toes. When I was on my back, I became dependent on Him again.
Over the years, I have had to learn that it is better for God to be in control. I also have learned that my biggest growth moments came from times when I had to take a backseat to God’s plans and trust Him. It is the reason why I can choose to allow whatever happens this year to be well with my soul.
Trusting His Plan
So far this year, I have had unexpected health struggles leading me to postpone my degree pursuit for a semester. There have been unexpected changes in the ministry I co-lead with my husband. I have had to cancel a much anticipated mission trip. One of my dearest friends was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. In all of this, I choose to say, “It is well” because I know God has a plan and I trust that those plans are for good (Jeremiah 29:11).
We all have the choice to put our faith in God and allow Him to lead or to take the reins from Him. He graciously gives us a choice: our way or His way. When we try to control our circumstances and live a faithless life, things tend to be difficult and stressful. But when we release everything to our Creator, He takes care of it all and we can remain calm in the darkest of storms. Will you choose to say “It is well with my soul” this year?
You may also be interested in Having Faith When It Matters, Not When It’s Convenient
