Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

The Light of Faith Outshines the Darkness of Fear

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Things were critical. I HAD to go. I was literally about to pee in my pants. All because I didn’t want to get out of my comfort zone…

I’m not much of a world traveler.

Matter of fact only recently have I begun driving outside of my two home states of Louisiana and Mississippi to go to Dallas for a visit with writer friends. My goodness! ALL those lanes of traffic! That is not what I’m used to! Give me just two lanes of leisurely moving traffic and I’m good. Driving in Dallas is a bit out of my comfort zone.

But when I really, really get out of my comfort zone is flying. I figure if God had wanted me to fly, He would have given me wings.

A few years back, John and I flew out to Utah. In the course of the flight, I realized I had to go to the restroom. However, I was NOT going to leave the safety of my seat. You know, the seat with the seat belt, flotation device, oxygen mask and all. There was no way I was going to walk down the aisle of the plane while it was tens of thousands of feet in the air. No sir. I was going to stay where I was strapped in, with all my safety equipment.

But it got to the point that I had to go. I couldn’t wait any longer, and we had another hour or so left in the flight.  I put on my big girl panties and made the walk down the long aisle to the tiny bathroom cubicle. I stuck my hand inside, running it up and down the wall to find the light switch. It wasn’t there. I was befuddled. Surely there has to be a light switch!

I stepped into the little cubby hole, felt around some more, and still no switch. I wasn’t sure quite what to do! I closed the door half way, but it was pitch black inside. I thought “Surely I will pee all over myself if I try to sit here and maneuver in the dark.” I opened the door and looked again for a light switch – nothing. Finally, things became critical. I had to make a decision. I slammed the door shut, and lo and behold, THE LIGHT CAME ON! It was a miracle! A miracle I tell you!

That’s what it’s like to walk in faith.

I can see your eyes rolling now saying “Going to pee on an airplane is like walking in faith?”

Why yes, yes it is.

You see, you have to decide to take that first step. Even when you get to the dark places, when you can’t see the next step or your hand in front of you, you have to slam the door on doubt and fear, believing that the light of Christ will guide you.

That trip to the bathroom on the airplane? That was the vacation I actually stood at the edge of a cliff. I don’t do things like that. So you see, my friend, tiny steps of faith lead to bigger leaps of faith.

[tweetthis]Let faith be your flashlight![/tweetthis]

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB)

Grace be with you,

From Back Row Believer to Resurrection Power

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Today was the day. She was planning to join the little church she had been visiting for the past several weeks. It was in the small Texas town where she and her husband had recently moved. They realized they were getting older and more frail, so they packed up everything and bought a house here, near their grown children. Now it was time to plant roots in her new church home. If only…

She walked down the aisle with slow, heavy steps. It should be a joyous day, but her heart was sad. The pastor grabbed her hand when she got to the front and placed his arm around her shoulders.

“Good morning, Mrs. Eason. It’s good to see you here today.”

“Thank you Brother Davis. I’ve enjoyed visiting this sweet church. I feel like family here, so I’ve decided to become a member. But…”

“Yes ma’am?”

“It’s my husband. He’s here with me, on the back row, but he doesn’t often come to church. Matter of fact, you may not see him after today. I’ve been praying for years, for his salvation. Would you pray for him also?”

The pastor glanced up and saw an elderly, stooped gentleman with sparkling sky blue eyes, wrinkled at the corners from his smile. In one hand, he had a cane, and in the other was his Sunday best cowboy hat. There was a spring in his step that belied his 70 plus years. He was walking confidently to the altar.

The pastor gave her a small hug and said “Mrs. Eason, if you turn around, I think you’ll see that your prayers have been answered!”

~~~~~~~~~~~

The story of my Granddad’s salvation is one of great courage and greater surrender. At his age, Grandad took that long walk from the back row to the front and admitted: “Yes, Lord, I believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me, a sinner. I need Jesus as my Savior.” Granddad yielded the life he had controlled for more than 70 years, to the abundant life of Jesus Christ.

That act of surrender, to salvation and the nudging of God’s Holy Spirit, was the first of many for Granddad. In the last decade of his life, the change in him was so dramatic, there was no denying God had gotten a hold of him. He surrendered his fiery temper to the fruits of the Spirit: patience, kindness and self-control. He surrendered his free time to the study of scripture. More often than not, you could find him reading his Bible while sitting in his favorite rocker.

There was a peace about him. Granddad had nailed his old, sinful nature to the cross, and offered what was left of his life to God. Time and time again, he surrendered obediently to God.
back row

Oh, but that continual yielding is hard, isn’t it? Exchanging my will, my wants and desires for His. I would much rather sit comfortably on the back row, wouldn’t you? I mean, think what could happen if we move to the front: We could mess up, fail miserably while all the world watches. No, thank you, I’m happy back here. Aren’t you?

Why, then do I have this restlessness in my spirit, like there should be MORE to life than the view from the back? Because there is more.

When we feel like we are being nudged to move forward in faith, we need to pay attention! It very probably means we have to forgo our comfort for obedience, trusting God and His Spirit to guide us on this new adventure. Walking in faith when we’d rather flee in fear. Stretching ourselves beyond our earthly normal. Knowing – no, BELIEVING – that we have Christ living in us, and His resurrection power available to us.

This is what happens when we allow ourselves to be stretched: We have room for more growth. We have room for the Holy Spirit to move in closer to us, walking with us. Before we know it, we’re walking in sync with Him. In the surrender, we see how faithful God is to equip us for every good work. [tweetthis twitter_handles=”@eechauvin”]In the surrender, we find courage to surrender again.[/tweetthis] We’re stretched and pulled and extended so far beyond our ordinary, that we no longer look like ourselves. We look like Christ.

It’s worth getting out of the back row, now, isn’t it?

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42 (NIV)

Grace be with you,