Transferable Faith…

 

I remember growing up as a child being raised by my two Christian parents. I remember thinking of how normal it was to see what they did that I only now realize was far from normal and was taken for granted all these years.

My parents depended on God for everything; for protection, for guidance, for provision, everything. And I never saw my parents without any of the things they asked God for. Looking back now, I’m remembering how it seemed like second-nature for them to immediately turn to God for anything they couldn’t work for or attain themselves, which, apparently when raising six children (and a guinea pig) on one pay check, is a lot. However, no matter how hard anything got, they never faltered in their faith.

During the holidays now, especially thanksgiving, my parents get all the family together and we reminisce about the years long past, about how God brought each and every one of us through difficulties, challenges, and attacks that none of us would have been able to bring ourselves through. We talked and even laughed about how each one of my parents’ children could’ve died at least three times between the time they were born and their 10^th or 15^th year of life. We’d sing together and talk about God’s goodness, and it would only be through these discussions that I’d come to find out how many difficulties my parents went through when I was just a tiny girl with ginormous dreams.

I remember seeing my parents sad, or upset, but not once in my entire life have I ever seen my parents give up faith on absolutely anything. This is one of the many attributes of their faith I’d taken for granted. They’d lived through difficulties that people would stress and cry about for years, but instead of losing faith, they believed and waited for God to do exactly what He said He would, and He always did.

As I got older, but still at a young age, my parent’s faith habits started to become my own. My relationship with God was started during those years and built off of a transferred faith I received from my parents; because they always had faith in God and received what they needed and asked for, it only made sense that I do the same, so I did. Now, as I look back and write this entry, I now have a clearer view of how precious and rare my parent’s faith was, and still is. So many people are living on little to no faith, resulting in a despair-filled life where they believe in God, but are unsure of His care or blessings or love or faithfulness in their lives. Much of that problem could be connected to the fact that they never had any role models or people in their lives that emulated the faith that Jesus had placed so much emphasis on during all of His teachings.

Jesus made a lot of bold statements about the effects of faith and what it can do for or in someone’s life. In Mark 11, He said,” Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” WOAH. That’s a level of faith that I find many people, including myself at times, are afraid of having. The question sometimes arises in some people’s minds,” What if I believe and I don’t get it? Does that mean God doesn’t love me?” or something along those lines. One must also keep in mind that the Bible says in James 4,” When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” And also in 1 John 5,” This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Basically, the only reason God wouldn’t answer a prayer said in faith is because it’s going against His will for your life, or the prayer was said for worldly reasons.

I, now, consider myself extremely blessed to have had two faith-filled prayer warriors for parents, and that my life was built off of the only foundation that can never be moved, Jesus Christ. I now charge you, reader, with this: ask God to build a faith in you that when transferred or come into contact with others, it inspires them. The kind of faith that, when you raise your children, will place them on a solid foundation of belief in God. The kind of faith that looks crazy and stupid until God shows up and answers everything you’d asked for. The craziest forms of faith that are executed within Gods will are the most effective, not only for the person believing but also those watching.

Take this challenge with me to ask God to show you where there may be gaps or scarcities in your faith, and ask Him to help build and strengthen it so you’ll be ready and well-grounded when the winds and storms come.

I pray this message finds you well.

God bless.