Faith....

As I state in my profile, I am a Christian. Although I grew up believing in God, a heaven and hell, Jesus, it wasn't until I was in my early thirties, and pregnant with our first child, that I came to understand that merely believing is not enough, and what true faith entails.

Our journey began when friends of ours invited us to attend a series their church was having called "Raising a G rated child in an X rated world". In a nutshell, after the series ended, we continued attending, and in time, both my husband and I committed ourselves, our marriage and the raising of our children to the Lord.

As I also state in my profile, sometimes my faith comes easy, other times not so much. It is so very easy to praise the Lord in times of joy, in celebration, when everything is just as it should be. Not so easy when times get dark, difficult, rocky...

I believe the words in the bible are God breathed, therefore I believe they are all true. So words such as, "Do not be afraid or discouraged..." Deut. 31.8 (NLT) can be tough to follow, real tough.

My husband and his partner started a new business venture earlier this year. They have developed a coffee that is infused with whole natural ingredients that makes their coffee not only a great tasting cup of coffee, but a healthy one as well. Drinking one cup of their coffee gives you the same amount of anti-oxidants you receive from eating 6 to 8 bowls of blueberries. What does this have to do with the above verse, you ask.....

Everything... and I mean everything... God has opened amazing doors, and I believe with all my heart His plan is for this company to succeed, but of course, that is not happening at the speed we would like. God has graciously put my husband and his partner in front of some very impressive potential investors, but then, unfortunately, our economy took a dive, and everyone has become very weary of handing out money (respectively so). Discouragement.

My husband the other night talked about how most successful business men found themselves in the same position we are in right now - over extended, in need of money. He then proceeded to tell me how Kernel Sanders lived in his car before striking it big ---- ummmm -- I don't want to live in my car. Fear.

Becoming a christian does not entail an easy life, in fact, the bible tells us trials are guaranteed. If life did not have it's share of hardships, 1. we would already be in heaven and 2. what would be the point of faith? I know that this is a growing time for me, but it is scary none the less. What if God intends plans for our life that I never intended? That is when I have to hold close the promise of the remainder of this verse, "the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:8 (NLT). Faith.