Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I headed to the front porch first thing this morning to watch the Master wake up the world, and what I saw was like the open arms of the Living God inviting me to join Him. The sun began to shine, the fog was starting to lift, and the deer were slowly making their way toward the light, just like I was. They didn’t have far to go, but they kept pausing to fill up on food that was much more appealing to them in the moment than the light was. As I watched the easily distracted deer, I realized there isn’t much of a difference between them and us when it comes to making our way to the Light. If we’re not Mature in our Faith, we can also become distracted, too. Turns out, slowing down the Journey toward the Light is as easy for us as it is for the deer. Stepping into the Light is the Most Important thing I do on any given day of any given year. It’s there where I am Strengthened for my Journey. It’s there where I receive my Wisdom. It’s there where I feel an indescribable Love that no human being has the capacity to show. It’s there where I find my Peace. I’ve “paid my dues” to have a Faith like mine; it doesn’t “just happen,” and it wasn’t always this way. It wasn’t until I realized that my Journey of Faith wouldn’t just cost me a little…it would cost me EVERYTHING that I began to Grow. I won’t reach Perfection until I make my way Home, but as surely as I am Strong today, I know that I’m inclined to fall if I DO NOT do what I NEED to do to remain Strong. Isn’t that the way you work on yourself through this Journey of Faith, too?

Faith is a process that takes a lot of work, and if we refuse to put in the Time and Effort, we CANNOT grow…period. No seed can be planted and then left alone to thrive or die…at least not if you planted the seed with the intent of seeing it bear fruit. Just like anything else we want to master in our lives, it takes lots of time and commitment to perfect. We try and we fail. We take a step forward, then three backward. We stand up, and then we stumble over and over again. If we want to “master” something, then we need to become an Expert…and it’s not humanly possible to become an Expert without putting in the time to Perfect. It takes having an Intimate Relationship with Jesus Christ to be able to Hear when the Holy Spirit speaks to the Heart…but we can’t have and hold an Intimate Relationship unless we’re willing to put in the Time. It takes Knowing Him VERY well to Transform our ways from how we used to be to how we need to be for Him. It’s the Most Important Relationship any of us will ever have, and it takes Time and Commitment to keep it sweet just the way it was in the Beginning. I think some people Believe that God is out of sight, so He can be out of mind too…at least until we need Him again. But if that strategy doesn’t work for human relationships, why would it work for the Living God either?

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. Sometimes they continue to do the same things they did before they saw the Light because they never put in the Time to Grow. They say the Right Words most of the time, but their Lives don’t Reflect their professed Belief, and they never seem to get around to bearing fruit. Sometimes people are stuck because we fail to be there for them during the Growing Season. So often we leave them alone after we Guide them to the Truth, and then leave them on their own to sink or swim. Unless they learn to Build their Stamina and Strength to Swim, they’ll likely sink and stay there almost every time. We are 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 Teach them with Truth and 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. Does it make sense to stomp on a seed just because it isn’t growing? To Christ, there’s no such thing as a “big” sin or a “little” sin…it’s all the same to Him, so we need to spend more Time in His Presence to get the plank out of our eyes, so that instead of feeling contempt for the wayward, we feel Compassion instead. This is the Key to Maturity in Faith.

I’m an imperfect woman living an imperfect life, but I SERVE Perfection and I seek His Face every day, all day. Because I’m Mature in my Faith, I see my wrongs, and I can’t wait to ask for Forgiveness and to make my Peace with the One Who died for me when I do. As long as there is breath in my body, 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 have the same kind of Life in their Faith too…that’s the Goal. I recently heard someone say that our Job (as Christians) is to disciple others toward Holiness. That pretty much sums it up!