Assurance

"Don't dig up in doubt what you've planted in faith." -Elisabeth Elliot

Happy New Year! And with the opening of another year, let the resolutions begin, right? We've set our goals, excited for a new slate and opportunities to better ourselves, our communities, and maybe even our world.

But maybe hard times have already set in, or rolled over from the previous year. Perhaps you're a little jaded from past valleys and failures, unsure of how you can move forward.

I know that's how I am feeling right now. I didn't really go into the year quite the way I wanted to. Having just moved to a new state after graduation, and with the passing of my grandma just before Christmas, I have wrestled with my faith.

I've struggled to find community and make new friends, to get into a workout routine that keeps me healthy, and to grieve the losses that don't feel real yet. I thought I would know where I was going to law school by now, settled into a perfect internship or job post-graduation. Life isn't always perfect though, and maybe is actually a little unfair. We don't also make the perfect choices, and sometimes we stumble.

Sometimes, we all need a little encouragement; even the disciples wrestled with fear and doubt.

In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples were asleep on a boat, rocked by waves. Jesus came down from praying alone in the mountains, and walked on water to meet them. I don't know about you, but that would absolutely terrify me, as it surely terrified the men on the boat.

Of course, Peter is the one to step out and began to walk on the waves towards Jesus.

But even as he was walking, Christ in sight, Peter became afraid, sinking into the water, calling out for help.

Yet it says IMMEDIATELY Christ grabbed him by the hand saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

From inside the boat, in faith, Peter had the courage to step into the wind and waves and pursue the path Jesus called him on. But in doubt, he dug up those seeds of faith and began to lose his way.

"Don't dig up in doubt what you've planted in faith," Elisabeth Elliot said. With her story, full of unimaginable valleys and hardships, including the loss of her first husband in the mission field, she certainly had many reasons to foster doubt over the years.

But she knew she could trust in God's plan for her life, in the work he began in her and would surely bring to completion upon her meeting with him in Heaven.

We can have this same assurance, that God never leaves us, and he is surely doing a work inside of those who put their faith in Him. He is reaching out to you and to me, the people of little faith, asking us why we are doubting him.

The beautiful thing is, God can handle our doubts and questions. He is bigger than any of it, yet more intimately involved than anyone else. Kinda crazy, I know.

So, dig in this year. Plant seeds of faith. Just know that even when things seem to be going wrong, we can trust that God is good. Keeping in mind, just because He is good doesn't mean you'll get the answer you want, and maybe not in the timing you want.

So go ahead: apply for that job, move to that new state, date that person, choose the single season, go back to school, or start that workout plan. Grasp hold of the assurance that is yours in Christ.