While a Puppy Grows, Our Faith Can Grow, Too.

My husband and I recently purchased a second home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have always found the process of buying a new home to be stressful in stark comparison to buying the contents. Now THAT is always fun. In the search for different decor to fill our mountain retreat, I have stumbled upon many unique pieces. One in particular caught my attention. On Facebook Marketplace, I found a listing for a "Chippy Paint White Washed Church Pew/Bench for Outdoors." The description of this pew made me pause. The seller described the conditions as "Used-Fair." He/she went on to say, "This is a little wobbly on right side but can be renailed/tightened. Has been outside for a year so will need a good cleaning." At times, those same words might adequately describe my faith walk. I wonder how many times I might describe my faith in Jesus as fair. We tend to do this when we are in the valley. There have been seasons of my life when I have felt very wobbly on one side. I needed to renail my focus on the Word of God. I needed to tighten my trust in His countless abilities to carry me through. In the year 2021, I traversed through one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I felt as if I was wandering outside in the wilderness. My beautiful world, as I once knew it, was turned completely upside down. For those who traveled alongside me down this lonely road, you remember the words that came out of my mouth so many times: "I've lost everything." My three best friends, who guided me through periods of anxiety and depression, left me. I exited the teaching profession, and my marriage crumbled. As a counselor would once say to me, "It is best if you imagine, at this time in your life, that you have entered the witness protection program. It is best for you to begin again." Like the chippy paint white-washed church pew, I needed a good cleaning. By the beautiful grace of God, I received a good cleaning. He washed me clean of all the 2021 experiences that threatened to ruin my peace. The words of Genesis 50:20 became the heartbeat of my soul: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as He is doing today." The owner of that precious church pew has not given up on its potential to bring beauty to a new space. If that chippy paint pew remains on Facebook Marketplace, I may just make a new home for it. Praise God we worship an Almighty Father who never gives up on us. Praise God we praise an Almighty Protector who carries us to new spaces and places we never imagined. Praise God we give thanks to A Saviour who renails our focus, tightens our trust and washes us clean. Thanks be to God.