I’ve been reading a lot lately — taking in as many beautiful words as I can.
And in the midst of all those words and stories, God’s been speaking to me.
His main message? Trust.
I finished One Thousand Gifts this weekend, and I feel like I could keep going back and rereading so many of the pages (which I’m doing a bit of this afternoon, as a matter of fact, as I write this blog).
The author, Ann Voskamp, writes such challenging and inspirational words about trust — an area of my faith that I feel God is really challenging me in this season. It’s tough work — this pruning, this teaching that He’s doing in my heart and in my life, but I believe the fruit of it will push me even closer to Him and give me bold courage to follow wherever He leads.
I liked that in One Thousand Gifts, Ann talks about trust being work, taking action, taking discipline: Believe is a verb, something that you do. Then the truth is that authentic, saving belief must also be? The very real, everyday action of trusting. Then a true saving faith is a faith that gives thanks, a faith that sees God, a faith that deeply trusts?
And she says that our daily work must be to trust, referencing John 6:29 AMP — Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]. She then writes: To trust in the Son, to trust in the wisdom of this moment, to trust in the now. And trust is that: work. The work of trusting love. Intentional and focused.
I think about how my trust in God has ebbed and flowed during the last few months. How I’ve questioned Him and wrestled with Him a bit over various circumstances I’ve found myself navigating.
But like Ann, I believe this, too: I know my supreme need is joy in God, and I know I can’t experience deep joy in God until I deep trust in God.
Trust is everything, she writes.
I think she’s right.
Her main focus of the book is the practice of eucharisteo (giving thanks), hence the book’s title One Thousand Gifts. And in her chapter specifically about trust, she connects the two beautifully.
I am changing, deep changing, and I am giving thanks, doing eucharisteo and eucharisteo is eureka, and I know why there’s no fear and why had I never seen it before?
Thanks is what builds trust.
Such a simple sentence with such immense meaning. Thanks is what builds trust.
She goes on to write:
How do you count on life when the hopes don’t add up?
…
The hopes don’t have to add up. The blessings do.
…
Count blessings and discover Who can be counted on.
* * *
I’m going to continue to count my own blessings and share them, here.
And as I abide in Him, and He in me, I look forward to discovering more of who He is and more of what He has planned for me.
{Imagine the Possibilities artwork by Penelope Dullaghan from the book Desire to Insire}
This weekend has me dreaming of photography adventures I want to have, words I want to write, art journal pages I want to create…
