I needed this reminder from my old post....so I thought I would share it again until I have a minute to write

I needed this reminder from my old post....so I thought I would share it again until I have a minute to write

Relinquish Control and Act by Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"

There are many times in which God chooses to remove something or someone from our lives that we have become so fond and accustomed to, for a reason we do not understand. Our comprehension is not God's primary concern, rather that His will be fulfilled, and the bigger picture be made complete.

Though we may be left feeling blind sighted and alone, confused and trying to sort out a reason, He sees far beyond our attempts at comprehension. He promises, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future". By faith we must trust the Lord.

Sometimes it is because of our own self indulgence that God must remove things from our life.

Where our heart is, there our treasure also lies; and the same is true of the reverse. Our faith in God should be the only place we store our treasures, our heart, because all else is futile and temporary.

Recently this scenario has played out in my own life. A person is missing that contributed a considerable amount to my happiness and pleasure.

It seemed so untimely, but I am choosing to have faith in the God that has always seen me through. While I only see brush strokes on a canvas, the Lord sees a framed masterpiece mounted on the wall in His kingdom. This person is a streak of color in my life, a vital part of the entire portrait, but that is all I can see; the individual stripes of color. The remaining progress needed to complete the painting will be left entirely up to God. He may or may not choose to use this color again in His final touches, and for one of the first times, by faith, I am okay with that. My heart is at peace.

Numerous times I have not done this and rather been like a toddler, inquisitive and meddlesome, wanting to grow up and paint my own picture. While, God, my loving father, had already made quite an outline for His developing masterpiece I decided to open a few paints and see to it that I added my finger and hand prints.

Rather then seeing a mess and dealing with me in anger, He washed my hands clean with His love and mercy, and transformed my mayhem in to a masterpiece.

We sometimes believe we are taking the design of our life in to our own hands, yet God in His gracious nature will only let us make it so far along before we realize we are unable to do it independently. Even if the choices that were made have caused a wreck in life, God sees to it that it is transposed in to something great. It is not always plain to see what good can come of a disaster or a loss, but by faith we can trust that God always has view of the finished portrait of our life.

It is only when we give up our stubborn three letter word 'W-H-Y' that we can be assured we are living fully by faith. This is the greatest act of submission; it allows God to teach and transform us in to the most captivating and magnificent artwork we could never have imagined.


By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of a desert because he was warned by God about something he couldn't see. His act of obedience, by faith, saved his family when it rained for 40 days and nights in a land that had not seen rain for many years.

By faith, Abraham was fully ready to return his promised son, his only son, to God not knowing God was going to spare Isaac's life.

By an act of faith, Moses' parents hid him for three months to rescue him from the decree of the king. Later, by faith, they delivered him down the Nile with no assurance of his fate.

By faith, Moses when he grew up refused the privileges of his royal household and rather suffered the strenuous life with God's people. By faith, he obeyed God and miraculously led the people of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea on dry ground!

These are just a few glances at the miraculous and adventurous lives that developed mainly because 'W-H-Y' was not their concern, rather complete trust and surrender to God's greater plan.

If you struggle today with the removal of something dear to you, I
plead with you to trust God that He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a better future then the one you have perceived for yourself.

Some people and possessions may re-enter, some shades of color may be used again, but allow the Lord to gift you with that, do not make it your focus. Press forward and live abundantly! Our days are not guaranteed.