Before You See It

It’s so hard to fathom living in a time where pennies are beginning to vanish from circulation. Yet even as I write that, I know that we each likely have a few lying around our homes. They ease out of purses and pockets and get buried under seat cushions. I know that I personally have a jar of coins with more than one penny hanging out. People are either opting to hang on to them in the hopes that they’ll be valuable one day in our lifetime or they’re ditching them.

It’s interesting how value can mean something different depending on the person you’re speaking with. Think about all the different types of collectibles that are out there. Toys, movies, music, books, games. You name it. If there is something that is not as valuable to someone, then it’s not as treasured. That’s because it wasn’t theirs to begin with. Therefore, there is no value, monetary or sentimental, attached. That’s where that adage comes in. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There are many things to glean from that, but one of them is that we don’t all value the same things.

Thinking about this also made me think how much of a struggle it is to confidently hope in the things we don’t see. I mean, that’s a simple definition of our faith, right? Believing even when we don’t see it?  I think about the winter weather we’ve been having in my region during the past few weeks. We had grown accustomed to our weather forecasters crying wolf. We developed a “Believe it when we see it” mentality and many were caught by surprise when they did see! When we walk by faith, we need an entirely different mental model. One where it doesn’t matter if we don’t see it, we still believe God for it.

I was talking about value and how it can mean different things to different people. As believers, we have to value our faith and our relationship with God. It is our treasure. Afterall, when things lose value it is because they are no longer treasured. There is no shortage of reasons to abandon our faith in the things we don’t see. In this regard, faith is a huge ask, right? It’s hard to trust in the unseen when you need to put food on the table or buy something essential, like medication. It’s hard! We don’t do ourselves any favors by not being candid about that. For me, this is why I’ve become even more determined not to give up hope.

My hope isn’t just about waiting to see the results of my prayers. It’s about my future and the well being of my family. It’s about trusting God with every part of me and my circumstances. When we go all in with our faith, then we have to trust that God is going to come through for us. It’s not a time to allow the giant standing before us to make us back pedal on trusting God. There is a saying that I’d hear often growing up. If you pray, why worry? We need to take that a step further. Because we have prayed, we have no reason to worry. Don’t allow your temporary to put you in a situation where you have sacrificed your eternity. Keep your focus on the God-things. Don’t stop praying and asking for God’s intervention. Even when it seems like nothing is happening, something is happening!

Stay Sunny!

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