Grow Through Faith Barriers

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If you haven’t met my friend Shelly Templin yet, you need to. She is funny and bright, a shining light of truth and wisdom. She also has written an inspirational book about a story close to her heart, but I’ll let her tell you about it. Be sure to visit her blog and say hello! First some summer food for thought from my joyful friend…

It’s summertime! The pools are open. The lakes are waiting. And the flowers are blooming.

My friends who live in the Pacific Northwest, are beginning to enjoy their lush gardens of ferns and flowers. My friends in the Northeast are thinking about what to plant next week when it warms up a bit.  In Texas, we are hoping to get a crop of vegetables before the heat of summer burns up our gardens. Our Texas flower beds and yards wither and die by July without pouring enough water on them to make the water meter whirl and our water bill soar.

Even though I know it will be a struggle to have a lush yard and garden, every year I muster up enough hope to plant again. There is something in me longing to grow something even when I know I will face obstacles.

Faith can be like that. We love when the garden beds of our lives are being watered and tended. We love to smell the sweet fragrance of the blooms and savor the fresh taste of tomato right off of the vine. But what do we do when the sun threatens to scorch and the water is lacking?

The faith barrier. It’s that moment in our lives when something happens that causes us to question our faith and we have to decide whether we are going to let the Master Gardener  ~ Jesus ~ refresh us with His living water.

Jesus answered…but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.

It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. John 4:14

I hit a faith barrier when my brother had a freak skiing accident at the age of twenty and became a quadriplegic. (You can read his story here.) I had to decide whether I would continue to believe that God was a good Father. If he cared for the sparrows of the field, why would he not protect my brother? If he was kind and compassionate, how could he let this happen?

My faith barrier seemed high and wide.

But Jesus made a door in the middle of my wall of doubt.

In those times when we are in a parched and dry land, Jesus is the water for our souls. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he walks with us.  When we hit the wall of doubt, he waits.

It is easy to believe and grow in our faith when everything goes smoothly. Not so much when life throws us its curveballs.  So what do we do in those difficult times? We can choose to trust. We can open the door in the middle of our wall of doubt and walk through.

How? We cling to His promises – “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” – and we grab the knob.

We turn the knob – “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

We push the door open – “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

We peek past the door – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

And we step through the doorway  – “We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure.”

Are you in a dry place? Have you hit a faith barrier? If so, cling to the Lord and His promises. You might be surprised how much you will grow in your faith during the dry times.

Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope – with humor.  She is the author of Pushing to the Peak ~ A Story of the Success-ability of Dr. J. Glen House. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a darling granddaughter. Shelly lives in College Station, Texas with her husband, Jack, of 30 years and their two dogs. In addition to loving her family, Shelly loves Texas, ice cream, reading, sunsets, hummingbirds and her dogs – not necessarily in that order.

You can follow her blog at www.shellydtemplin.com

or www.facebook.com/chucklesinthechaos