Daily Devo July 26: Wednesday Word Faith

The word of the week is FAITH. We were saying that faith is not a feeling as some have mistaken it to be, but it's full of action and power! Faith is a way to God, a way to persevere, a way to walk with God, a way to resist satan, a way to live your life worthy of your calling in Christ. There just doesn't seem to be a one size definition that can fit a word such as faith. It's like trying to describe God in one sentence!
     Being a foster parent is walking through each day on faith alone. Every morning I wake up, I have to pray before I even get out of bed because I have no idea what awaits me and I know I can't do it without HIM. Every night when I lay down I'm praying over everything that happened, not because that's what good Christian girls do, but because I cannot keep going with the burdens of the day if HE isn't in control of it all. I just can't. He called me out for this and I accepted, but not to do it alone. Every FP says they won't get in too deep in the beginning. You do not sign up to love only the children but the entire family the way God loves them. You pray for all of them before you ever meet them. You have faith that God will guide you through whatever happens next and then you get the phone call. You look at the children when they walk through the door and you tell yourself "Don't cross the line." You do all the right stuff and leave them in God's hands and somewhere along the way, He breaks your heart wide open so that you see them the way He does and you find yourself saying "I love you" and meaning every word. And then you've done it. You crossed the line that cannot be crossed back. Your heart is in love with a child that will most likely not stay. You are suddenly Hannah, loving a child you will give away. That takes great, deep, trusting faith, my friends. Every day I wake up, I know we could be one day closer to them leaving my home forever. The very thing I spent so much time praying for, that their family would be reunited as it should be and God would fix what had been broken, will possibly come to pass. Just because it breaks my momma heart doesn't mean I want that any less. My faith tells me that God knows what He's doing and if He renewed my heart in the past, He'll renew it again. My job is not to tell Him what I want or how to do His job, but to pray "Your will be done" and trust Him with exactly that.
     That's the best working definition of faith I can lay out for you. It's trusting in the real life, here and now. It's trusting Him with what matters most to you. It's believing He is who He says He is. Faith is walking with God even when no one else wants to come along. What is it that keeps you from real life faith? Is it fear? Do you have a skewed view of God and His faithfulness? Is it false teachings or rumors or doubts that were seeded in your heart long ago that you've never dealt with? Is it anger or pain or disappointment? Is there something holding you back from the edge of full trust and faith that you need to deal with? If you are still unsure of what faith is, I IMPLORE you to seek out a mature Christian friend to speak with about it. Spend time in God's Word. And as always, my offer is open to all who might need a friendly person to speak with, I'm here as well.