Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
Faith is hope made solid. Tangible hope. Hope you can see and touch and feel. Hope that unfolds around your whole life and gives you a place to stand when the world around you is a line drawing scribbled by a shaky hand. Faith is a map being drawn in real time, turn by turn being revealed as you come upon it.
Faith is courageous, but it usually doesn’t mean to be. It is often a fuel to the momentary flicker of something better and more noble than your own human nature. A hope kindled. The spark catches, the flame ignites, and the fire spreads to swallow everything in its path. Your one small “Yes, Lord, I am willing,” has blazed a path that you never planned to walk. But the way is now clear, a set of defined lines in the smouldering ink smudges of the unknown, and you walk forward, step by step, braver than you ever meant to be.
Faith is heavy, centered, weighted by the love of God. His love can wrap around you like fog when you walk in the dark, narrow places where no where else can travel. The thick glory of his presence—you can sometimes feel it. The oxygen of his nearness—you can breathe it right into your body and keep living, keep walking, keep moving on through the uncharted territory of your life.
You never knew you would climb mountains or that you would travel so far from home. But you are doing it, and there is no turning back. Your life has become the very map of God’s love and faithfulness, revealing the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
Dear friends,
I pray that God will give you faith to face whatever lies ahead of you. That He will makes you stronger and braver than you ever knew you could be, that He will fill you with His love and presence. That He will meet you in the dark, narrow places of your life. That He will be around you and within you, and you will know it without a shadow of a doubt. That He will draw out a clear map for you to follow, and that your trust would be simple and pure like that of a little child. I am praying these words over my own life as well as I walk into my own unknowns. I can look back over my life and see nothing but God’s faithfulness. He is willing and able to bring us through whatever lies ahead.
Sending faith, hope, and love,
Mackenzie
From the Family Archive:
Faith Hope Love by Randy Chester. (Yes, I am married to a mad-scientist-musician…)
From the Blog: More on Maps and Faith from my journal back in March 2020.
Creative Family Culture: Dinnertime Storytelling Game
You are five minutes away from a dinner full of family stories that you have likely never heard! This is a super-simple storytelling game that you can play at your next meal. Just click the Storytelling Game image, print it, cut out the words and put them in a bowl. During your meal, take turns passing the bowl, drawing a word, and giving a quick story of a memory that you have associated with the word. You may be surprised at what you hear! (Click the image above to get this free printable and a few tips for gameplay.)
From the Podcast: Faith and Miracles, Chapter 6 of The Sacred Everyday Book Read Aloud
Before I actually published my book, I made a series of read alouds on my podcast of the different chapters. This one is all about faith.
Journal Prompt: Write about a dark and narrow place that God has brought you through.