Tag: faith

Inspire

What inspires you? Or maybe I should say who inspires you? If you’ve been a Christian for some time you might answer this question with “The Bible of course!” But aside from a typical Sunday school answer, let’s consider other ways we can be inspired: from each other.

Recently I visited my sister in law in her new home. As she showed my husband and I around the house, she pointed out all the improvements she had done. She had painted the walls, added tiles to her bathroom and kitchen and decorated each room carefully. She and my brother in law had recently moved in and she was taking the time she had while looking for a new job to decorate her home.  After seeing their home, I left inspired. I began to think of what changes I could make in my own home. My husband and I moved into our current home about eight months ago and we really haven’t done much to change what was already in the house. In our last home, we did many projects and updates in anticipation of downsizing and selling it. So, we were tired of doing projects and updates and our new home looks much the same as when we moved in.

Sometimes it takes a visit to a friend’s house to get inspired for change. Or, to a local home improvement store to get inspired for changes in our homes, but what inspires your faith? Do you ever find yourself just going through the motions in your faith life? It’s just the same old thing? Well, aside from reading the Bible which IS a great place to start to read about others who have gone before us and learn and be inspired from them; we can find faith inspiration from one another. An example of this is found in Hebrews.

The Book of Hebrews was written for a group of believers who needed inspiration. They had been recent converts from Judaism and needed to understand that their new beliefs were on track and that they could continue on hoping in Christ, even if their circumstances seemed difficult. The author of Hebrews writes; “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV). It wasn’t just the author of Hebrews job to inspire and encourage, but he was asking the Hebrews to encourage each other. To spur each other, to inspire each other if you will.

So, maybe we should ask ourselves, “How are we inspiring others?”  instead of asking ourselves why we are bored in our faith. Sometimes we need to take the focus off ourselves and how we are feeling and examine how we are influencing and inspiring others. My sister in law might not have realized how she was inspiring me, but she did. As Christians, we need each other to grow and be encouraged in our faith. Be sure to share your ideas, your stories, and your own inspiration with others. You never know just how they might have needed to be encouraged today. God Bless- Nancy

Easy Faith?

There was something about Mary. No, she wasn’t in a movie by that title. She wasn’t famous or rich. She didn’t drive a nice car or even wear nice clothes. But, she always looked nice and showed up to her work on time. I remember she would wear a zip front polyester blouse with a floral design. Her pants, also of polyester, would be of whatever color matched the flowers in her blouse. She drove an old car and made sure we always had the most delicious molasses oatmeal cookies after school. No, Mary wasn’t my Mom, but an older lady who took care of my brothers and I while my Mom worked alongside my Dad on our farm. She picked us up from school, helped my Mom make meals, and took care of everything my Mom couldn’t while she was driving trucks or tractors with my Dad.

So, what was it about Mary? She suffered from severe asthma. She often would have to sit down in the middle of work and grab her inhaler and catch her breath. Even when she felt her worse, she would still take the time to walk to the barn to find my Dad to relay a telephone message. (there weren’t cell phones back then!) I used to feel bad for her when my two older brothers would dial the home phone from an upstairs line and she would run to pick it up downstairs, only to find they had hung up when she answered. This usually sparked an asthma attack. Yet, she kept loving on us as young children. Why? It wasn’t because she had an easy life. She had lost her husband to death by alcohol, had no children of her own, lived alone, and had asthma. Mary had faith.

Faith was what kept her going and kept her attitude in check. I didn’t become a Christian until I was 13 so I didn’t understand anything about faith or God when I was young. But, as a young child I saw it in her. I saw her attitude of selflessness,of loving, forgiving and serving others even when it was difficult for her, even painful for her. She attended Mass at her church faithfully and she gave of her small earnings. I witnessed faith in action in her life.

What is faith to you? Is it the definition found in Hebrews 11:1? “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (NIV). Or does it describe your particular religion or denomination? Is it found in weekly church attendance, or does it describe your belief IN a God? If you read all of Hebrews 11, you’ll find quite a list of people who had faith. It’s often called the “Hall of Faith”, but few ever bother to read all of the chapter down to verses 35b- 40, that begins “There were others” This a contrasting statement and  an introduction to look at the others, the ones who didn’t have everything work out perfectly with faith. The ones who were tortured, chained, killed. poor. Yeah those ones. So, why would the writer of the Book of Hebrews put that there at the end of the wonderful story of faith that recalls all the good things that happened to those who had faith? Because that is the real side of faith. Faith isn’t believing in it is believing. Romans 4:3 says “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”(NIV). Abraham didn’t just believe in a God, but he believed God. That is he believed what God said, even when things looked difficult or impossible. That isn’t easy. It’s not easy faith. It is hard faith.

My youngest, Chris, who is a sophomore in college and an aspiring filmmaker, has taught me quite a bit about film making. I credit him for telling me about the hard faith film genre. Maybe you havn’t heard about it either, but it is starting to get recognition in Hollywood with films like “Generational Sins” by Third Brother Films. I haven’t seen it yet, so this isn’t an endorsement, but just to let you know that hard faith is a thing. It does not wrap up the Christian life in an easy package.  It depicts reality, not just what we want reality to be. It is not wishful thinking.  It is the difficult faith like the faith of those in Hebrews- the “other” ones at the end of the chapter. It is the hard faith of real life. it is life in all its ugliness, imperfectness and unanswered questions. It is the faith found in a woman named Mary, who demonstrated it in front of a family who at the time didn’t have a faith in God. She never got healed of her asthma, never got rich, and eventually grew old and passed away. But, she like the “others” of Hebrews now have something better. And though she didn’t receive greatness here, she made a big impact on a young girl, who would later write about her. That is real faith, not that you believe in God and what He can or could do in your life, but that you believe God. Trust Him, that He’s got this, even when life is hard and difficult. When people aren’t healed and storms cut lives short. Faith is what can keep our attitudes in check and is what others can see demonstrated in us and through us as Christians. Don’t show just an easy faith, show them what faith is like when things aren’t going your way. When you find yourself as one of the “others” of Hebrews 11. That’s my challenge for you for this week. -God Bless -Nancy