Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I headed to the front porch with coffee in hand and what I saw from the window was like open arms of the Living God inviting me to join Him…and I couldn’t wait to be in the Presence of the Love of my Life. It’s there where I find my Strength for my Journey. It’s there where I receive my Wisdom. It’s there where I feel Love like no human being can show. It’s there where I find my Peace. I “pay my dues” to have a Faith like mine – it doesn’t “just happen” and it wasn’t always this way. I won’t reach Perfection until I go Home, but as surely as I am Strong today, I know I’m inclined to be weak too IF I don’t do what I need to do to remain Strong. Isn’t that the way you work out the Journey of Life too?

Faith is a process that takes a lot of Work, but if we refuse to put in the time and effort we can’t grow. No seed can be planted and then left alone to thrive or not…at least not if you planted the seed intent on seeing it bear fruit. Just like anything else we set out to master, it takes lots of time and commitment to perfect. We try and we fail. We take a step forward and then three backward. Like a toddler learning to walk, we stand up and then we stumble over and over again. But with a whole lot of falls, and even more persistence, the toddler becomes a walking expert and before you know it, the toddler learns to run. What’s true for the toddler is true for the Journey of Faith – it takes time, persistence, and a whole lot of stumbling and falling to become an Expert. This is the Key to Perseverance.

It’s easy to see how so many People of Faith are stuck in the past and many of them haven’t grown much at all since they first Believed. Some are still living like toddlers – they keep stumbling, never perfecting the Walk. Sometimes they continue to do the same things they did before they saw the Light because they failed to put in the Time to Grow. They say the right Words most of the time, but their Lives don’t Reflect their Belief because their Growth has been thwarted by neglect. Sometimes people are stuck because nobody helped Guide them to the Truth and they were left on their own to sink or swim. Unless they learn to Build their Strength for the Journey they’ll likely sink and spend their days below the Surface of what’s possible for them. Unfortunately, we’re quick to judge people of Faith who don’t Reflect their Belief, but instead of trying to Show them the way to Grow we leave them to their own demise.

People of Faith who have never learned to Grow don’t always know that what they’re doing or saying goes against the Living God UNLESS we lead them to the Truth with Love. “Tough Love” has no place in the process because it’s not fair to apply tough lessons to those who have not even matured enough to understand the wrong! That’s like stomping on a seed because it isn’t growing or taking it out on a baby with no ability to reason yet. To Christ, there’s no such thing as a “big” sin or a “little” sin…it’s all the same to Him…He died for ALL. It’s in His Presence where we learn to remove the plank from our own eyes, and before you know it, contempt and complacency get replaced with Compassion. This is the Key to becoming a Faith Expert.

I’m an imperfect woman living an imperfect life, but I serve Perfection and I seek His Face every day. Because I’m Mature in my Faith, I usually see my wrongs fairly quickly and I can’t wait to ask for Forgiveness and make my peace when I do. I won’t be leaving anyone in the dust if I can help it, and I’ll be a Reflection of what Faith should look like so that others see Him in me…and hopefully, they’ll be Inspired to become a Faith “expert” too…that’s the Goal.

How about you?