|
Hi Friends, I’ve been thinking about faith. (Is there a more simple, yet complex topic?!) Here are a few lyrics I sang about this: There’s no formula to faith Jesus commended the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:40 as having true faith. This leads me to a question people have asked through the centuries: What is required to have true faith? It may help us to first look at what it’s not. Faith is not an emotion. Jesus never likened faith to a mighty oak, full grown and bearing fruit. He said what was needed was faith the size of the smallest of seeds. Back to our Gospel story: the life of this woman is in shambles. Years of bleeding, years of stigma and isolation. She spent all the money she had on doctors to no avail. She seems riddled with insecurity and shame. This woman is not confident enough to stop Jesus in His tracks. Not bold enough to ask for healing from Him face to face. She comes from behind Him, ducking through the throngs of people, reaching through the legs of the crowd pressing against Him. Closer, closer, finally she reaches out. But He’s moving, walking. At best, her fingertips graze the edge of His garment. She’s instantly healed. And He stops. He commends her faith. It’s hard to shake the mindset that you have to get it all together in just the right way to please God. We hype ourselves up, stir up an emotional frenzy, search endlessly for just the right words, as if the syllables themselves held a sort of magic. But perhaps this woman’s desperation drove her to do just the thing that He’s looking for: She came to Him. Afraid? Yes. Ashamed? Seems like it. Her faith wasn’t great in size or impressive in expression. But it was in Him alone. Perhaps that is the most important thing about faith. God, help me just to come to You as I am and believe in who You are. Amen. — Anna P.S. I sang this chorus on an Instagram post a few years ago. You can hear it here if you’re interested! |
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, Have you ever noticed how quickly we decide what matters? Who’s successful. Who’s influential. Whose life is “making an impact.” We see the titles, the platform… and without even realizing it, we start assigning value. But God does something completely different. He takes what seems valuable in the eyes of man and turns it on its head. His ways are so very different than ours. Turns out, He put the most valuable thing of all completely out of sight. It doesn’t matter if you are...
Hi Friends, Last night I stepped out onto the back deck. To be honest, I was escaping the thunderous noise (oh the noise!) of three boys who felt bedtime looming and were attempting to squeeze just a few more minutes of play out the day. I stepped out into what has been one of the first warm evenings of the year, heard the birds singing in the forest beyond our yard, and I had what felt like an involuntary reaction. It felt like when the doctor hits your knee just right and you get surprised...
Hi Friends, I’ll never forget it. I showed up for class in college, slid into my seat, and noticed the girl on my left had a large smudge on her forehead. She was an acquaintance, and in my earnestness to be a “real friend”, I pointed it out. “You have something on your forehead”, I said, gesturing to her as if wiping at my face. “It’s Ash Wednesday,” she said, turning in her seat. Whoops! Neither my husband nor I grew up in churches that followed the church calendar or included liturgy. So...