Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The minute my eyes opened this morning, I thought about the Love of my Life and I thanked Him for another day to Serve. Love and Gratitude are one thing, being made ready to take on a new day as a woman of Faith is an entirely different story. For that, I need Wisdom and Grace…a Compassionate Heart…and a willingness to Forgive. I need to Surrender this day and all that it is to Him. I need to be sure that I’m not harboring anything “bad” in my heart that could hinder my Relationship with Him or my Witness to a dark world. I need supernatural Strength, and I need Humility. My Journey isn’t possible without Him, and I’m not capable of any of these things without His Help, so I seek His face each morning, and I put Him first in all that I do. Isn’t that the way you begin your new day too?

It can be so easy these days for people to fight for their independence while they convince themselves that they’re fine all on their own – but God didn’t wire us to be on our own. God breathed the Rule Book into existence, and He says, “iron sharpens iron,” and that “two are better than one.” He made Eve for Adam. He called Aaron to help Moses. He joined Elijah and Elisha to prepare for a time when the prophet Elijah would be taken Home. There are countless examples of how God reinforced relationships to strengthen His people – each one driving the message home that “iron sharpens iron.” It’s that same determination to be independent that can easily carry over into our Journey of Faith, too, and before you know it, we can easily convince ourselves that the remote control is an adequate replacement for assembling together with the saints. The more we work to convince ourselves that we don’t need anybody else, the farther away from understanding what it means to be totally dependent on God for it all. What the world sees as weakness is actually a sign of Power as we Surrender it all over to God. There is no place for independence in the Journey of Faith.

Sometimes it’s funny to see the reaction when people hear me confess that I’m not nearly as “independent” as they think I am. I flew solo for most of my life, but that wasn’t because of a determination to be independent, and it wasn’t an outward sign of an inward need to be alone. It just was. What others don’t understand is that when Christ is the Center of Life, we never feel alone! No doubt I survived well on my own with God at the Head of my family – I managed to raise 4 kids on my own, and they’ve grown up to be wonderful God-fearing people. I’ve built success and I’ve seen abundance – my family wanted for nothing. I was also overwhelmed by the burden of it all sometimes, and I cried myself to sleep more times than you want to know. That is UNTIL I learned to surrender whatever was overwhelming me over to God while confessing to Him that I’m helpless without Him – and THEN GOD GAVE ME the reassurance that He’ll never leave me nor forsake me. He reminded me that all I have to do is Acknowledge Him in all my ways that HE WILL keep my path straight through the Journey. I’ve seen so many miracles that I can’t begin to count them all, and I’ve had friends hold me up when I couldn’t hold myself up countless times. I’m not ashamed to say I’m weak, and I’m not too proud to ask God for help….the God that KNOWS that “two are better than one.” I may have been flying solo, but I’ve NEVER been alone, and because of my Journey, I matured in my Faith enough to understand that His “power is (always) made perfect in my weakness.” When I am weak and dependent, HE IS STRONG.

I spend time alone on the front porch at daybreak most days, but I’m not flying solo anymore. God decided that I needed a suitable partner to walk through the Journey of Faith with me, and I was obedient to the Call…and oh what a Treasure it is to lock arms with the one God intended for me after decades of flying solo! Sometimes people will ask me how I’m adjusting to “losing” my independence now that I’m married, but I lost that a long time ago when I Surrendered it all to the Living God. So, as much as I know that I’m no longer alone in this vapor of a life, and as grateful as I am for my Covenant Partner, it’s Jesus Christ I put my Trust in still. He’s the Source of my Strength. He’s the Author and Perfector of my Faith. He’s my Redeemer, and He’s my Rock. I paid the Price to become a Strong Warrior for the Living God, and I walk out my faith with Boldness…but there is nothing independent about me or my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

How about you?