Facets of Faith

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Life is Better with Friends

04.19.2016 by Kim Findlay //

It’s my (Kim) turn at Facets of Faith to continue the conversation about friendship. If you missed what Tracy and Jen shared, click on their names to catch their perspective.

3I’ve thought a lot about this topic and feel I keep coming up short. What am I suppose to write about friendship that you might not already know? What words do I pour onto the page to encourage others to engage or simply read what I write? If I were completely honest, I would tell you how often I wonder if I’m even a good friend at all. I can be self-centered and ultra-focused. I forget birthdays, anniversaries, and making deadlines.

I can be somewhat afraid of people, too. Not in a weird, I’ve-got-to-hide-at-home kind of way. Truthfully, I often feel like I just don’t measure up. So I withdraw with polite hello’s and intentional how-are-ya’s. But not much connection beyond that. Humans can be so complicated and confusing – of which I may be one of the most confusing and complicated. Hormones kick in (yay for those middle years!), circumstances rise up, and I’m a mess. How in the world do I walk through someone else’s mess when I struggle with my own?

I’ve seen the damage done to a woman’s heart when a friendship is betrayed by gossip. I’ve witnessed the brokenness that occurs when pettiness wins and critical spirits take root.

Why does that happen? Why do we, as women, compete against one another? One up each other?

     Who has the thinner figure . . .

          The cuter kids . . .

               The sweeter husband . . .

                    The prettier nails . . .

So I used to stay away from friendships like that. Partly because my figure was always larger, partly because I don’t have all of my kids anymore, divorce marred me, and as for my nails? Well, I’ve never been one to worry much about those.

But as years passed, God healed the deeply broken places where love resides. I realized I did have precious friendships. Women who loved me with my quirks and simple preferences. Women who supported me, prayed for me, spurred me on, and who allowed me to do the same in their lives.

And now? Well, now I have friends like Tracy and Jen. And no, they don’t know I’m writing about them. Being true to my challenging nature, I’m writing this late and they probably won’t even read it before it posts.

I’m grateful for these two in my life because we get to live life together, embracing the joys and sorrows, the celebrations and uncertainties. There’s no pretense and no competition with these two ladies. Probably because we know and celebrate Tracy’s incredible style, Jen’s wiz at all things technical, and my need for connection.

But more than that is because we get each other. We each have our own stories of broken hearts and insecure dreams. We each wonder if what we’re doing for our kids or our husbands (and husband-to-be) is our absolute best. We each seek after God, pursuing Him first – well, most of the time. We’ve experienced grace when we’ve messed up and offered grace when someone else does.

We ask the tough questions of one another and allow space for our own answers to pour out from those deep hidden places within. We tell silly stories we don’t want anyone else to hear, and we laugh. A lot. Sometimes those stories are borderline inappropriate, and sometimes they’re so saccarine-y sweet, we laugh until our laughter is laced with tears.

But what I’ve learned most about friendship from these two ladies is the gift of being present, of being real. No, this isn’t a plug to continue to read our posts at Facets. This is a snapshot into our real-life friendship. A friendship that has grown out of the love for the written word over the past couple of years. A friendship that has been a refreshing, life-giving gift to me. A friendship that has become a living, breathing example of one of my favorite passages in Scripture:

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

     1 Thessalonians 5:11, NLT

Because that’s what we do, no matter what happens. We know how tough life can be and we’ve chosen to be each other’s cheerleader, encouraging each other on toward a life of love and grace, of obedience and faith. After all, isn’t life better with friends?

Categories // Friendship Tags // encourage, encouragement, Friendship, hope, Kim Gunderson

Twelve Minutes to Faith

03.15.2016 by Kim Findlay //

Faith. I don’t know where I (Kim) would be if it weren’t for my faith. Perhaps breath would no longer fill my lungs nor might my life be defined by hope. I certainly would have missed the story of redemption woven throughout the broken threads of my life. Broken threads I never thought would be made whole again, let alone woven into something so breathtakingly intricate and beautiful.

And all it took was twelve minutes. Twelve minutes plus a lifetime.

2

I remember the day I pulled into my driveway and stared in shock at the sight before me.

Smoke. Pouring from my home.

I’d just returned to retrieve something I needed for work. I was only gone twelve minutes.

Twelve minutes that forever changed my life. Twelve minutes that altered the course of my life, my heart, and my faith.

And somewhere within those twelve minutes, my greatest fear became my most tragic reality as my youngest daughter took her last breath.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

I grew up knowing Jesus. I made a decision to follow Jesus when I was eight. I began teaching Sunday School when I was fourteen, and by the time I was twenty-eight I was on staff at a church leading children’s ministry. Faith was not only a way of life, it was my life.

When I was eight, my mom and dad gave me my first Bible. As I entered high school, I graduated from the little kids bible to one specifically designed for students. Written in my mom’s beautifully scripted hand on the inside cover was a verse that guides my life.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

Trust was crucial for me growing up. I knew I could trust my parents; they were always with me. I knew I could trust God; the Bible told me so. Maybe it was the number of moves we’d done by the time I was eight, or perhaps it was the fear that seemed to follow me everywhere I went, but somehow fear grew bigger than my ability to trust.

Fear of the unknown.

Fear of rejection.

Fear of failure.

Fear of loss.

I’m not exactly sure where the fear first grabbed hold but I often felt its tentacles wrap around my soul, squeezing out any sense of calm, of peace, of comfort.

My biggest fear was death. I remember standing next to my parents’ bed in the middle of the night as a young child, sobbing in fear as remnants of a nightmare slowly trickled away. A nightmare where one of my parents died and left me behind.

As years passed and I became a mom, my fear shifted from losing my parents to that of losing a child. Deep fear. Real fear. Fear that sometimes faded as I learned to trust in the One who is bigger, stronger, and more powerful but sometimes reared its ugly head.

That beautifully scripted verse often came to mind. I thought if I trusted God enough, he would make my path straight. He would keep my family safe and my life free from death and loss.

Right?

Then came that fateful day with those twelve minutes. Twelve minutes where death stormed into my life and snatched away my precious Emma. My greatest fear now became my reality.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1, NIV

Perhaps as you’re reading your own fears are bubbling to the surface. Perhaps it’s not losing a child but losing a spouse, or feeling like you’re not enough and one day you fear someone might agree with you. Perhaps you, too, have stared death in the face through the eyes of your mom or a sibling and you silently scream, “me, too!”

Lean in here, precious one. Lean in close as I whisper this to you . . .

Faith is not about believing God enough so bad things don’t happen. Faith is believing that when those bad things happen, God is enough. He does not change. His love does not end. Neither will His grace or mercy or compassion (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Faith is believing that what Scripture says about God’s character is true, that His ways are higher than we can imagine (Isaiah 55:9), and He will do immeasurably more than we might every imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Good things. Eternity-changing things.

Faith is saying yes to God’s plan even though your heart breaks and life hurts because you believe He is working all things for good (Romans 8:28). Somehow. Someway. Faith is believing nothing separates us from God, from His love or grace or protection (Romans 8:38-39).

That’s what twelve minutes taught me about faith, faith that draws me close to my loving Father no matter what may come my way. Twelve minutes plus a lifetime of faith.

Kim Signature

Categories // Faith Tags // Faith, God, hope, Jeremiah 29:11, overcoming fear, Proverbs 3:5-6, suffering, Trust

How Is My Life Different Because Of My Faith?

03.01.2016 by Tracy Stella //

If there is one thing I (Tracy) have learned about my faith it’s this: God’s faithfulness helped grow it. He took me from a place of despair and called me to believe—to believe in Him. He asked me to trust Him, a difficult task in the beginning. Others had broken my trust. Would God too?

Much later I would learn and agree with George Mueller’s words:  “I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”¹

2Difficult circumstances led me to seek the Lord. My life added up to one miserable equation.  Home sweet home demolished by a bomb that set off a chain reaction. I didn’t think I could withstand it. I wanted to throw in the towel and proclaim, “Game over”!

But God threw me a lifeline instead.

“For I know the  plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

One of my first big acts of faith was this: to believe there was something to hope for in my future. Circumstances said give up. God wanted me to keep going. Would I believe God and His Word when hope felt beyond my reach?

Hope feels brave when there’s no basis to believe it.

It is much more difficult to walk in faith those first early steps. I didn’t yet have years of God’s faithfulness to reflect upon.

Those first steps toward my hopeful future felt like they were taking me to the edge of a cliff. No parachute to help me glide to safety. What if faith stretched me so far out of my comfort zone I landed somewhere I didn’t want to be? Then what?

The “X” which marked the safe drop zone seemed far off. I couldn’t see it.

Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The providence of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail.¹

My life is much different because of faith. Somehow, seemingly impossible, here I sit enthroned with a crown of righteousness. The mere belief of righteousness in the face of my own sin an act of faith as well.

But that’s where faith gains traction. When we know we have right standing with God … that’s a game changer!

Right standing with God gives liberty to live our lives as God intended. We’re able to toss off all that hinders and stand with our head held high where once our eyes averted. If our eyes aren’t focused on what God sees, we’re focusing on the wrong image.

God shows me what He sees in me in a tender, merciful fashion.  Faith has taught me that.

I have courage where I once held cowardice.

Because God is who He says He is, I can be brave enough to look my sin square in the face and deal with it. Before faith was forged in me, I’d never done that.  Now I know if He asks me to peer into my sinful nature, it’s for my own good, and faith says, “Trust God. He is gentle in His reprimand when we are genuine in our repentance.”

I couldn’t change what I was unwilling to look at. Once I did (and do), I received deliverance. Sin no longer hidden brings freedom from what hinders.

Faith has given me courage to dream again. I have a beautiful life. It’s not without its difficulties, but God has shown me faith floods our lives with blessings too. He carries me from one adventure to another, and it’s so much fun. Contrary to what some in the world might think, faith is not boring. It is adrenalin filled when we are full of possibilities in Christ.

There are times in my life when I wonder What on earth am I doing and how did I get here? Walking by faith can lead us to some amazing places.  It requires obedience to get to that spot God marks out for us. “X. Right here, My daughter.” Obedience isn’t always easy (even if it should be), but it gets easier the longer we walk in faith.

Beyond all those benefits of faith (and I know there are many I haven’t mentioned) God has shown me He was so very faithful to His promise from Jeremiah 29:11.  He has given me a future far beyond anything I could have imagined.

Faith has helped me take bold action based on God’s wisdom. His power encourages me to do more with what He’s given. Not striving. In His strength, I carry out my calling.

Gone is the cowardly woman who often roared because of pain in her depths. In her place sits a lioness rising into her calling more each day.  Today, I find myself stepping into a mission to penetrate the darkness.

Faith has brought me to a place where I will be fighting for God’s daughters against the oppression of human trafficking. I would never have thought I would be sent on that mission. But then again, that’s what faith can do.

Join the conversation. How has God asked you to step out in faith? How is God asking you to respond to His call to faith today? How will your life be different when you do?

Signature Block - Tracy

¹Mueller, George, and A. Sims. George Mueller: Man of Faith. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2005.

Categories // Faith, Tracy Stella's Perspective Tags // Courage, Dream, Faith, hope, Human Trafficking, Jeremiah 29:11, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Trials, Trust, Wisdom

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