How Do You Spell Faith?

Most days, I find myself operating in two camps: Depending on myself, trying to hord my assets out of fear I will lose everything, or depending on God, creating margin to discern his leading and praying for faith to do what  he is calling me to do. 

The older I get, and the more I read my Bible, the more I believe that “without faith, it’s impossible to please God.” 

And it takes a ton of faith to do what God has called you to do. To put yourself out there and say “This is the direction we’re going in. I believe this is the best move.”

Often, the path to what God has called you to isn’t lit up with bright lights. It leads you into the darkness without the ability to see your next step. It forces your hand. 

Sometimes you expect things will go one way and they go another. That’s when things get real and you have a choice to make: abandon ship or continue down the path of obedience. 

Every morning, I take my kids to school and we recite different maxims. It’s my way of giving them their daily dose of wisdom that I pray turns them into mature, God-fearing adults. 

So I ask my kids, “How do you spell faith?” 

My six-year old daughter Joanna is always the first to answer, “You spell faith R-I-S-K.”

As I see it, faith is risk. And there’s no way around it. 

It was risky for Abraham to leave everything he knew to follow a God he had never seen before. It wasn’t the safe play to put his beloved son on the alter, having to trust God to provide. 

Do you every think he paused and thought “What the heck am I doing? This makes absolutely no sense.”

My man Moses stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful man in the world, then led a grumbling, rebellious people in the wilderness for forty years. 

You think he ever wrestled with a little bit of self-doubt?

And Noah? The dude built an ocean liner in the middle of West Texas. 

What did his friends say? Was he celebrated… or laughed at?

David stood up to a giant and Daniel jumped in bed with some lions. 

Following God requires us to stare our fears in the eyes while continuing to march forward. And oftentimes, that is not the “safe” play. There is absolutely nothing comfortable and secure about letting go of control and saying to the Lord “I surrender all. My life is in your hands. Not my will, but yours be done.”

Straight up. That takes some guts. 

But without faith, it is impossible to please God.

So here’s to living by faith today. 

Here’s to having the conversation you don’t want to have or voicing the impossible vision that you can’t seem to shake. To have the courage to do what is right, no matter the perceived cost, trusting that God has got you no matter the outcome. May you care more about what God thinks than what others think. 

Above all else, may you have the strength to choose faith over fear. To depend on your God instead of yourself. 

Onward, my friend. 

Walk by faith, not by sight.