As I look around my little corner of the world, it seems like there are more than a few challenges going on in the lives of most everyone I know.
Peeking beyond that to a broader view beyond my corner, I see even more challenges. It’s a bit like looking at range after range of mountains that do not end.
The challenges come in all sizes and shapes.
They come no matter what the season we are in.
Some challenges are ones we choose and are for some good goal, but others come unbidden by us.
It’s one thing to choose to run a marathon, take a rigorous college program, signup for the military, or go on a mission trip. Those are all tough, but it’s those other challenges we didn’t sign up for that can seem especially daunting.
None of us sign up for accidents, a job loss, a failed relationship, a diagnosis of cancer, the death of a child, abuse, or a betrayal in ministry, but some of these and others I did not name still come anyway.
What is amazing to me is that somehow we can be so shocked when life doesn’t work out or go according to our plans. What did we expect?
At it’s very best life is an adventure. At its worst, life is a trial or a series of trials that may feel never ending.
Somehow some part of us still likes to believe in the illusion that we have more control than we do or were ever meant to have. Some of us believe if we follow the rules, are just good enough, or make very few mistakes, everything will be fairly smooth.
When things don’t work out that way, fear, anger, or hopelessness can paralyze us.
We want life to be safe (at least relatively speaking). As believers, we especially want to feel the safety and protection of the Lord with a confidence He will keep us from harm. When life hands us a different menu, we question whether God is good or who we believe He says He is (more often than we might want to admit).
I love the C.S. Lewis Narnia series. It is so rich in meaning and depth. One favorite scene in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is when the children ask the beavers if Aslan is safe. The beavers respond that he isn’t safe, but he is good.
Having confidence in God’s goodness is one of the linchpins of faith. When it is absent, our trust falters, our faith melts away like an ice cream cone on a summer’s day, and hope flickers like the wick at the end of a candle.
Here’s the truth we forget. We are caught up in a great story, a great adventure. It has been that way from the very beginning. Our challenge is to accept the challenge, move forward in the adventure, and keep the linchpin in place so in Him we triumph against all the odds that might be arrayed against us.
You see, as I read through THE STORY (the Bible), I see that truth everywhere.
Life is scary despite all the beautiful, exciting, wonderful things we discover in the adventure.
If that sounds unrealistic, ask Noah, Moses, Jonah, or the long list of heroes of the faith we learn about through His Word. Sure, we know they are heroes now, but if you could ask them if they felt that way when the flood was raging, the Red Sea lay ahead, or the belly of a whale was home, I doubt they would tell you they felt no fear.
So how did they become heroes? What did they do with the fear they experienced? What can we learn from them on our own adventures?
I think the key is something I heard quite some time ago.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the byproduct we receive when we face our fear.
Ask any Medal of Honor recipient if they felt courageous when they threw themselves in harm’s way to save another and the answer will definitely be they did not. What happened in one terrifying moment’s time caused them to step into the situation for the sake of someone else, and God met them there.
That’s what He did with Joshua and every other favorite hero of the Bible.
I am reminded of one of Corrie Ten Boom’s stories of her life with her sister, Betsy, in Auschwitz during WW II. As Corrie was seeking to encourage Betsy as they faced unspeakable horrors and fears, she told her a story. She reminded her of trips they would make on a train with their father. Corrie brought back to Betsy’s memory how their father would not give them their tickets for the train until it was time to board the train because they wouldn’t need them until then.
Corrie gave a marvelous example of how God meets us just at that greatest point of fear and gives us just a few seconds to face it only to realize His gift of courage.
That’s the key to dismantling fear that cripples us.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Cor. 4:7 (ESV)
Pam,
I love your definition of courage. We can’t develop courage unless we go through the trials. There’s no way around it. The quote by C.S. Lewis is so apt. Praying for you and your family as you wade through the water knowing He will not let the waters sweep over you.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thank you, Bev! This post was written before the current storms started raging and even with that I see He reminds me in advance. Your prayers are deeply appreciated.
In Him,
Pam💕
I have to remind myself that people in the Bible didn’t know the outcome that we read about in just a few verses. Daniel facing the lion’s den, the three others thrown in the furnace–that could well have been the end, yet they stood true to God. And then the deliverance came. Then in Hebrews 11, there’s a long list of those who did marvelous things and experienced great deliverances, and then another list of those who suffered. Yet they were all counted in the hall of faith. May we be as faithful, staying close to Him no matter what.
I think it can be something that is easy to miss, but if we try to put ourselves in the story it becomes clearer.
Yes, may we indeed be as faithful, staying close no matter what. Perseverance in the midst of trial is what we need and even then, we need Him to help supply it.⚓️
Praying for you & your family Pam at this time with so many unexpected surgeries & scary diagnosis for your son. ♥
We too have had 4 surgeries in the last few weeks & 3 injuries! Most unexpected!
Bless you,
Jennifer
Thanks so much, Jennifer! Blessings and healing for you and yours.
Sola Dei Gloria,
Pam
Amen! 😀
I have found that after working many many years in ministry that God will fully equip you for what he calls you to do. It may not be until that exact moment but he will not fail! #trafficjamweekend
I agree!!🌻
Such a rich post full of wisdom. Thank you for sharing with Grace & Truth Link-Up. I loved this truth – ‘Having confidence in God’s goodness is one of the linchpins of faith. When it is absent, our trust falters, our faith melts away like an ice cream cone on a summer’s day, and hope flickers like the wick at the end of a candle.” Maree
Thank you for your kind words, Maree! Have a blessed week tucked into the Savior’s arms delighting in His love and grace.💝
Thank you! I hope you have had a great week. I will be featuring you tomorrow on Grace & Truth Link-Up.
Thanks so much, Maree. It has been a tough one for our family. It makes this post especially relevant for us. A bit less than 2 weeks ago our daughter and our husband had surgeries on the same day and are recovering well to date, but then the end of last week and this Monday we received the news that our son has been diagnosed with a non-Hodgkins lymphoma tumor deep in his sinus behind his eye and will begin chemo on Monday. Seemingly meaningless symptoms of a watering eye led to this discovery. Prayers are appreciated.
Obey and trust. AMEN.
Thanks, Brenda!
Good thoughts to ground us in reality. lurensparks.net
So true – I bet those people in the Bible didn’t think about being a hero, they just obeyed and trusted God and the courage came as they followed. Great post!
Thanks, Sue! I enjoy your site and appreciate you taking time to comment.
Embracing the journey, trusting in the goodness of God, that he gives me my ticket (of faith) just when I need it, thank you encouraging and challenging. Grace & Truth link-up
So true, Sharon, and how much we gain when we have those near us to remind us when we falter because the arrows of the enemy and the load we carry gets too heavy.