Growing in Faith takes Work

The old statement "Good things come to those who wait" may be accurate in some instances. When it comes to our spiritual life; however, this statement is anything but true. Many people follow that statement as an means to their personal spiritual growth. They wait on God to move in their spiritual life. They wait for others to help them grow spiritually. They wait to become the person God wants them to be. And they die no closer to God than they were when they walked into the water of baptism. Maybe they even die further away from God because they never tried to get to know Him. Maybe a better statement for the believer would be, "Good things come to those who work on their faith."

Saying that, let me remind myself and those following this blog that this summer, my goal was to grow in my faith. That has taken work on my part. It has not been a summer of waiting for God to do something in me: it has been a summer of placing myself in a position where God can do His work. I have been reminded of that many times this summer. You see, it would be easy to just spend this summer vacationing and hoping God would do something in me. But if I did that I would totally miss out on what God has to offer.

I have spent the last twelve days in Hawaii with some wonderful people. My guess is some of them had a great vacation and came no closer to God than when they left. Some of them may even be farther away from God than they were before. And if it wasn't for one sacred location where I spent many hours, I would have been just like them. You see, every day for the seven days we spent in Waikiki, I started my morning with God. My devotions took place on my balcony overlooking Diamond Head. It is the volcano that you see in this picture. And for hours each day I would pour over the scriptures, read my devotional books, pray, sit in silence, and look over this sacred space. The balcony in my hotel became the place to meet with God each day. It was the place where I shed so many tears. It was the place where I felt the presence of God. It was the place where thankfulness flowed. It was the place that held the deepest revelation so far in my whole sabbatical.

This is what the volcano looked like when I began my morning with God. It was between 4:30 and 5:00 am when my day would begin with the Lord. I came to the place where I felt like God was waiting for me to show up to see Him. I wonder how many days He has felt that way for each of us. He wanted us to spend time with Him but we didn't. He wanted us to talk to Him, share with Him, listen to Him, read about Him but the hectic pace of life made our time with God all too short; and maybe that time didn't exist at all. Spending time with God required work on my part. It would have been easy to sleep in after our long days on the trip. But somehow I thought I would miss something if I did that.When I went to the balcony He was always there, always ready to speak, always ready to listen, always ready for time with me. It was not about me waiting for God to move but moving into a space where I could hear from my Lord.

The reality of the work involved in our spiritual journey happened on day five of our trip. It was the day that we made our way to the top of Diamond Head. I had been looking at this volcano for days, but now I would get up close and personal with it. The trip to the top of the volcano was a pretty arduous one. They dropped us off in the crater that you see to the right and then we would have to make a trek to the top. It was a pretty difficult climb up a really rough trail on a hot and sunny day. That trek led to a set of 271 steps to reach the spectacular view of the ocean. We began the journey well-rested with a large crowd of people. But soon, after the journey began, the number on the trail decreased. The big group turned into a line, then a line with spaces, then small groups making the trek. Some didn't even come on the journey believing it would be too difficult, others started and turned back, and still others gave it all they had and made it to the top. The journey was easier for some than for others. Some had prepared for the journey and others never realized it was coming.

Jenna was one of those travelers on this journey who never knew it was coming. She had not prepared for it as I had. For the last five months, I had worked on my tread mill at an incline to get ready for Diamond Head. I heard it was difficult but I wanted to make sure I could complete the climb. Jenna, on the other hand, began by running ahead, then walking, and at points she would have to stop for a while. There where times that she cried because she got so tired. And there were times when she wanted to turn back. Her big sister was one that
was ready for the trip. Her summer in soft ball and the time we went for a walk together must have helped her. Peggy and Vicky were committed to the task but just a little slower than some. With empty water bottles in hand, they made the last few steps to the top of the volcano together. One encouraging the other, one pushing the other, but in the end victorious over the volcano. And when the journey was over, there was an amazing surprise. It was more than a beautiful view, it was arriving at the destination together.

Here is a picture of Jeremy, Jessica and Jenna on the platform at the top of Diamond Head. It was a beautiful moment for the family to stand here together. We were victorious! But the victory took much work. And the same is true in our relationships with Jesus. My friends, it takes work to grow closer to the Lord. Many will never experience the joy of a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord because they will not put in the work needed. They will not make room in their lives or give time in the day to get to know Him. Jesus is always present and waiting for us. He never moves but too often we do.

Every morning during our trip to Hawaii I began my day basking in the presence of the Lord. What happened was really amazing. You see, throughout the day, I began to see the Lord in things around me. God spoke to me in His creation. Joy would flood over my spirit and at times tears would run from my eyes. And in those moments it was God; God who is always present but very visible in the moment if we will allow Him to be. I saw God in places were many missed Him because I took the time to see Him in what was around me. This journey of faith takes work on our part. But, my friends, the view is amazing.