Shelly A. Faust

Archives for May 2014

From Afraid To Courageous

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ordinary into extraordinary

This week one of the labels we talk about is AFRAID. I know a lot about this label. Growing up I was afraid of most everything. But more than being afraid of the dark or afraid to speak in front of the class (flashback to Jr. High Speech class and blubbering my words through tears), I have often been afraid of fully embracing this space God has carved out for me.

Because sometimes mothering and writing and ministry can seem insignificant (unless, perhaps, you are on the NYT Best Sellers List or boarding a flight for your next international speaking event) and other times it can feel really, really scary (probably especially if you are on the NYT Best Sellers List or boarding a flight for your next international speaking event).

  • Am I making a difference?
  • Does this matter?
  • Am I enough?
  • Am I doing enough?
  • Have I missed God somehow?
  • Do others approve?

Tasks go unnoticed, words go unpublished, and these moments are not often returned with a certificate of a job well done or a paycheck every Friday.

It’s easy to look at other women and think, “If I could only do THAT,” because, well, I see super-hero capes when I look at you mamas with full-time jobs and careers outside of the home.

It’s easy to be afraid that what we are doing doesn’t matter or isn’t making a difference.

It’s easy to be afraid that we aren’t enough.

But God wants to give us courage to believe we can make a difference right where we are.

And when we understand that our value is not in what we do but in what Jesus has already done for us, we might dig our heels in and plant firmly in this God appointed space no matter what opposition comes or what others think.

Because no matter your space, “You are without limits because of the unlimited God who lives in you” (Derwin Gray).

So, “Take your staff, your slingshot, and grab your five rocks. Use the gifts and abilities God has given you, and sling them at the giants you will face” (Derwin Gray).

And if what you’re doing feels small (btw – mothering is NO SMALL THING, in case you were wondering) – consider that God has placed His finger on every detail of your life. Even this one.

If what you’re doing feels small, remember there’s a great, BIG God who loves you beyond measure and takes delight in turning even the ordinary into extraordinary.

Because this small thing you’re doing today spills over into tomorrow. And tomorrow leaks into next week. And next week could set the stage for the next ten years.

Every moment, every day, is a seed planted in the soil of tomorrow.

That means we’ve got no time to waste, friends.

I’m ripping off AFRAID and I’m putting COURAGEOUS in its place.

Because in Jesus, I’m already enough.

And you are, too.

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Join the Online Bible Studies Community at Proverbs 31 Ministries. Sign up today for our current study, Limitless Life by Pastor Derwin Gray.

 

My Dad’s Garden & Our Souls Need Tending

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Gentle, labor-worn hands steer the old red plow in straight lines.

Rows prepare to welcome seeds of promise. The ground opens and closes, swallowing tiny capsules of life hidden in protective shells.

The sun slides down and dinner finds its way to the table. Another day’s work is complete.

Four decades of plowing and planting just like today are etched into my memory. My heart smiles.

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And then an overwhelming sense of pride for all the years of hard work by this man who leads our family well floods my being.

Without tending and caring, faithful intruders wreak havoc on my dad’s garden. They strangle and spoil and devour. But with knees bent between rows and fingers clasped around weeds, there is room to grow and bring forth an abundance of healthy fruit.

With the right amount of sunlight, the plants thrive and grow.

With enough water and the right soil, plants flourish and bloom.

With proper tending and caring, it is well in the garden and a harvest is certain.

My thoughts wander from this ground once also tended by my ancestors to my own life, commanded by God to bear good fruit.

This living requires
Some weeks my own harvest hangs heavy on the vine, beautiful and lovely and good. These are the weeks I have tended well.

But other times my canning jars sit empty or stand filled with regret.

Like days wasted on a million little, insignificant things while a dream stays buried in my heart. Or the hours I rush through in a frenzied hurry, neglecting time with my Savior and spewing words that can’t be taken back.

Weeds of distractions, offense, and regret can strangle and spoil and devour.

Without knees bent in prayer and a swift removing of these intruders, our own lives can become an overgrown mess, yielding little to no good fruit.

This living requires an intentional anchoring of our soul,  a planting in the Word, and an abiding in God’s presence. In the right conditions, our spirit thrives and there is growth, making a way for good fruit.

Without these things, we can wither and become barren, failing to fulfill the purpose and plans laid out before us.

Like my dad’s garden, our souls need proper tending and care so that the fruit of our lives is sweet and beautiful, nourishing all those God places in our path.

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I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). ~ Ephesians 6:18 AMP

With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments. Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You. ~ Psalm 119:10-11 AMP

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