Walk by Faith

A small laminated sign in my Corps Officers office, just above her desk that said, 'I walk by faith and not by sight'. A good reminder I guess, and I didnt think much more of it at the time.
Recently, I was talking to two of my favourite women in the world (seperately) and both times I found myself wondering what it means to walk in faith and not by what we see. Now before you all start thinking that I dont listen to people when they talk to me, what they were both saying relates.
Both were having things in their life, that they were struggling with. Both were believing in God for an response/answer or fix to the problems plaguing them. Two women of faith, who I look up to a lot, both struggling and believing in God for a resolution.
It wasnt until after I got off the phone with them (seperately) that I really thought about it.
What does it mean to walk by faith and not by what we see?
I started thinking about these women could see. Financial problems, debt, work issues, self-confidence problems. These are what they could see. Thats what we look at. The Bible isnt talking about trees and grass when it talks about things we can see. It is talking about the actual things in our life that we look at. What are we focused on?
I know for me, my life and decisions I have made, have been based on these things I can see in front of me. I can see debt, I can see being seperated from loved ones, I can see my own limitations. This is my walk. This is what my walk is based on.
Jesus doesnt want us living our lives BASED on the things around us that we can see. He wants us to be based on FAITH.
What you see around you is worldly and if we choose to accept these things, then this is what our life is. If we believe for more, walk by faith, then our lives are so much more than the issues that we see around us.
"Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen." (Heb 11:1 NJB)
What are we currently believing for that is unseen?
I know that for me, my focus needs to change. I need to stop being focused on these issues in my life that I can see. I need to live in faith. I dont want my next decision to be based on these things I can see. I dont want to be guided by what the world has for me. I want to be guided by what Jesus has for me.

My bus driver

Again, I haven't blogged in a little while, and despite my willingness to do so, subject matter alludes me. However, this little something, is worthy of some time and I would like to share.

On my way to work, I catch two buses, I dont have to, but the second bus saves me a walk (it is cold people, I am not just being lazy). The main reason that I catch thr second bus, is that I love my bus driver. Every morning I see him, with a big smile and a friendly greeting for everyone that gets on his bus. He spends fifteen seconds with everyone who gets on. Just friendly greetings, comments about life, the weather, the weekend. It doesnt seem to matter, and everyone getting on the bus, loves it. 

This may not seem like a big deal, and it isn't. Why would it be? He is only polite and friendly with everyone who he comes in contact with that morning. Not all that hard. But for most people, he is one of the first people they will see in the morning, and every morning he makes sure to kick it off on the right foot.

Now, I cant imagine that bus driving would be the most stimulating of jobs. I have respect for everyone who does it, but everyday you get up at the same time, to drive the same bus, down the same route, and more often than not, with the same people. Its neccessary, but not the greatest of jobs. Yet, every morning, this man has a smile on his face, a friendly greeting and makes other peoples days a little better.

So whats the point? Well, surprisingly, I didnt just write a blog about a man none of you will ever meet, and he will never read. The point is, that everyday, you come into contact with some people. Maybe the same people, maybe different ones. And I bet, on days you feel good, you try to share that joy with other people. But this isnt about a friendly bus driver. This is about a friendly bus driver every morning. I know what I am going to get when I get on the bus. I know the environment I will be in, what the mood will be, and I know, I am going to smile. 

It isnt hard to find nice people these days, most people are. Christian or not. What is hard to find, is people who create an environment, day in and day out that welcomes people, and brightens their day.

Sidenote: My first bus driver showed up ten minutes early, because he didnt want everyone waiting around in the cold. Ten minutes out of his day, and he just made mine.

If only we were all bus drivers.

Purity Lost

I have been thinking about this post for 2 weeks. How do I start? Where do I begin? After not blogging for a few years, my ability to broach a subject with anything that resembles creativity, has rusted through. So for those who end up reading this, I ask for your patience as I try to find my footing on unfamiliar ground.

Purity in others is something that I have always envied. Having the confidence, belief and clarity to resist temptation and avoid impurity are all strengths that I did not possess. I fell early and I fell often. Because of that, I didnt view purity as something that I could have. And so, I promptly stopped thinking about it. 

It wasn't until recently that I begun to think about Purity again. It started with Supernatural. Its one of my favourite tv shows and although it is not the most wholesome, or purity inspiring show, it is very interesting, and raises good questions. 

One scene in particular made me think of purity. Dean is recently back from being in hell, and as they are sitting in a bar talking, he makes reference to being re-hymenated. Not the most righteous line, but it certainly got to me. 

In my devotions the next few weeks, the Lord was talking about becoming pure and refinding the purity that was lost. It did take me a while to catch on, but he was saying tbat purity isnt a forgotten thing, it isnt lost. Its just not yours. Your purity, whether you have it or not, is a gift. It doesnt belong to you, so when you lose it, it doesnt fall into darkness, it isn't GONE.

God has it. After all, it belongs to him. We were born with sinful natures into a sinful world. Purity isnt something that we can possess. It is the Lords and he gives it to us as a gift, so that we can be close to him. Purity is a way of becoming closer to the Lord. Which is why it is still available to you, despite what you have done, and he WANTS to give it back to us. He wants to be close to us.

If you are like me, and purity was something that seemed to be lost a long time ago, I urge you to seek the Lord, allow him to restore it for you. Allow him to rebuild.

If you still have your purity, in whatever form it means the most to you, then please treasure it, allow it to take you deeper into Gods presence. Please, guard your hearts and minds and hands. 

The evil one likes that purity is being overlooked these days. He enjoys watching people believe that purity is lost. I have allowed myself to be pushed on with the crowd, to forget the joys of being pure before the Lord, and only by the Grace of God was I aware of how far I had fallen.

Be blessed. 

I've always loved the feeling of cold water splashed on my face. It has a calming effect thats not always so easy to find. I found myself doing this a few days ago, while at work. I looked up into the mirror, not sure why, but I did. Maybe I was looking for something. Something peaceful, or different that would somehow make me feel better. But looking in the mirror and having the same freckly bastard that is always there looking back, wasnt discomforting, surprisingly, but also wasnt much comfort either. Just the truth. I dont find a lot of comfort in the truth, just peace. It's still my face in the mirror, covered in water. The same features I am used to looking at for the past 23 years are still there. There is peace in knowing that no matter what, it will always be your face in the mirror. A small thing, but truth comes in the small things.