This & That...

Ricky and Jenn’s Wedding: The trip to Baltimore was great. We arrived late Friday afternoon and rushed over to the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was at an Italian restaurant and was quite comical and fun. The wedding was wonderful and was such a testimony of God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. The bridesmaids looked pretty in their gray dresses and red shoes, while the groomsmen looked…well, let’s just say they all looked good until you reached the feet. Just kidding, the converse shoes were a fun touch. The reception was a couple hours after the wedding and about an hour away at a manor. It was beautiful! My favorite part of the wedding just might have been my brother, Landon’s best man speech. For those of you who may not know, he really is quite witty. He had everyone laughing as he slammed Ricky…I mean encouraged the bride and groom. I also loved being able to see my sister and brother-in-law. Though it was a quick trip, we were able to enjoy our time together. There were lots of funny moment (mom/rain/bags ordeal =), and many wonderful memories made. So, that is my brief overview!

The Girltalk blog has been doing a series on “A Mother’s Faith” and it has been very good! But since I am not a mother, God has been using this series to speak to me in a different way. This faith they are speaking of is not just for mother’s. It could be applied as a father’s faith, a daughter’s, brother’s, man’s, grandmother’s…it’s a faith for everyone. In one of the posts, Carolyn Mahaney was remembering a time when her and her husband were at a parenting conference and being interviewed. The moderator asked them, “If you could parent your daughters all over again, what you would do differently?" Carolyn said that although there are many things she wishes she had done differently, there was one thing that stood out among them all… "I wish I had trusted God more."

“For every fearful peek into the future, I wish I had looked to Christ instead. For each imaginary trouble conjured up, I wish I had recalled the specific, unfailing faithfulness of God. In place of dismay and dread, I wish I had exhibited hope and joy. I wish I had approached mothering like the preacher Charles Spurgeon approached his job: ‘forecasting victory, not foreboding defeat.’” – C.M.

This concept should be applied to every area of life. God is aware that we sometimes, or often times, struggle with trusting Him. But He is more than willing to help us grow. Just as Carolyn said that successful mothering doesn’t begin with hard work, sound principles or consistent discipline (as necessary as these are), neither should the daily tasks of our lives. “It begins with God: His character, His faithfulness, His promises, His sovereignty. And as our understanding of these truths increases, so will our faith…” in whatever we are being called to do.

“The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Fear is sin. And as my husband has often graciously reminded me—God is not sympathetic with my unbelief. Why? Because fear, worry, and unbelief say to God that we don’t really believe He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ps. 86:15. We are calling God a liar.” – C.M.

None of us would outwardly call God a liar, but when I don’t trust Him and His faithfulness, that is exactly what I’m doing. Everything I do, whether big or small, important or seemingly insignificant, should be laced with faith. If our practices are not motivated by faith, they will be fruitless. Having strong, unwavering faith is one of the best ways we can honor the Lord. That kind of faith crushes fear, increases fruitfulness and most importantly glorifies our Father. So, as always, I am praying that I will have less regrets, BECAUSE I trusted God more.