As I read through my previous blog posts, I’ve realized that all of them are some form of announcement, so today I thought I’d take a deeper dive into where I’m at in my faith journey.
The past year has been crowded and heavy. It’s been tough to keep moving forward at times. This is a big change for me, because I’ve always moved freely (and rapidly) through my life.
From the time I was a toddler there were only two modes of Annie: GO! and sleep. I’ve never been the sit-still-be-quiet type. But lately I’ve been feeling weighed down. There’s so much to think and worry about the older you get, and going really does get tough. I’ve been told that if I take a break it might be easier to move through the hard times. If I slow down for a bit maybe I’ll be less tired, but that’s really not who I am. I have always been in motion, but before I was unhindered. Now, God needs me to trust while I walk, and trust is heavy.
I believe God is teaching me to trust, and keep walking. Even on the nervous days, the bad days, and the tired days, I need to trust, and keep walking.
In other words, last year I came face to face with the fact that all the best things in life require patience (something I’m not great at), and reliance on God and others (something I’m REALLY not great at).
The biggest example of both of those lessons has come directly from fundraising. 15,800 is a daunting number, and even more daunting is the need to raise past that for gear, toiletries, and other emergency needs while on the race. The only way to overcome that large of an obstacle is to work at it, over time, patiently. Yikes. However, fundraising is also a lesson on the joy that comes from patient work. Watching the bar rise on my blog, and coloring “blocks” on my fundraising board at church is something I look forward to any time a donation is made, or a fundraiser goes well. Patience and persistence yield results.
Then there’s trust. I am the type of person that likes to drive herself places, rather than depending on getting rides, and take home group projects to finish them so I know it will get done. Remembering that prayer should be part of my problem solving strategies is a habit I’m still working to create. Again, fundraising has been a major example of all the reasons I need to be putting my trust in God, and that I can trust others to help me. Trusting is hard, but it is what God needs us to do.
I have a feeling I will continue to learn lessons about trusting in God and the people He puts in my life for help and support. 2019 was just the beginning.
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act,” Psalm 37:5
(Christian Standard Bible)
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Just a little ways left until India…
