What Can Faith Do?

Often times we hold onto things in life, fists tightly clenched, thinking that if we let go, we will somehow lose out. I'm pretty sure that's why I didn't fare so well in my earlier years as a Christian. Okay, so that's not entirely accurate... I know that's why I didn't fare so well. Ironically, the limitations that I placed on my faith in God and in his love for me, my refusal to genuinely live in my faith, was at the very core of my decision to walk away from it.

Some years later, my husband and I separated and were on the verge of divorce. My kids were all doing their own thing and I was lucky to be able to see them long enough to say good morning and good night to each of them, without some sort of an argument taking place. I was standing at the threshold of bankruptcy and in danger of losing my home. My college education and work experience as an office manager and paralegal had long since fallen by the wayside, as I managed to barely scrape up enough money to survive while hustling tables at a local diner. My life had become no life at all. I was existing, and barely existing at that.

But on Easter Sunday 2010, like the prodigal son I returned to him. Fully aware that I didn't even deserve the scraps from his table, I was humbled, afraid, confused, broken.. and willing. My all too familiar "if you do this, I'll do that" or "I'll do this, but only if you do that" petitionary prayers were replaced with "Please Lord, have your way in my life. Please just love me and let me serve you." Like the desperate, ailing woman who had spent several years of her life, having given up everything she had in trying to find a cure for her sickness, only to find herself worse off than before, I knew that if I could just touch the hem of his garment, he would make me whole (Mark 5:21-34).

SInce that Easter Sunday, well, let's just say that God has been doing some incredibly amazing things in my life. He has unleashed his love and power on me, in ways that I never imagined possible.

My husband and I have not only reconciled, we are closer than we've ever been. I have a genuine relationship with each of my kids. I am back to work as an office manager and paralegal. Every single need is provided for without fail. Moreover, I no longer live out my days in anxiety, anger, fear and loneliness. He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for my spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).

At this point, you may be asking yourself, "why do you suppose that God decided to wait until now to move so powerfully in your life when he could have just as easily done so before?" The answer is actually pretty simple, almost too simple. God does not love us or lead us by force. He wants to move in our lives, but only if we give him the green light to do so. I did not allow him to move in my life before, because I didn't trust him or have faith in him.

When we feel that God is prodding us to do something that we can't possibly understand as being beneficial at all, or he is ushering us into unfamiliar territory, we can either step out in faith, or we can recoil in fear. The choice, is ours. For the first time in my Christian walk, I choose to step out in faith, and God is responding in the most incredible and almost unbelievable ways.

To put this all into perspective, I leave you with a very powerful illustration.

The Pearl Necklace

A cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess-- the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And, when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of beautiful genuine pearls. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store imitation, so that he could give her the genuine treasure.

--Author Unknown

What cheap, dime-store imitations are you settling for in this life? What false sense of security are you leaning on out of fear of losing or failure? God says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19). The choice, is yours.