Once I realized I had nothing left but my faith, something very peculiar happened.
I started started becoming a little bit rebellious. To become lifegiving.
I had reached an important crossroad in my journey.
I wasn’t seeing anything visible that was pointing me where to go next. I also wasn’t picking up hints as to why God allowed so many disappointing turns in my life either.
Was I going to keep resurrecting new plans to get to where I wanted to go? Or would I dare to believe God was already at work, creating something out of my nothing, as the Scripture says?
What if I put all my bets on the wild truth that my faith in Jesus — my relationship with Him — was all I really needed to make a difference in this life?
How would the equation of my life change?
How would I change?
I had filled half a journal up, recording dreams disrupted and plans blown to pieces. I started brainstorming another different set of pages. I couldn’t stop writing.
I wanted to live as a lifegiving woman.
Lifegiving Beauty
During my time in whitespace that one weekend I poured out my heart to Jesus, I came across a book — “Lifegiving: Discovering the Secrets to a Beautiful Life” by Tammy Maltby.
It appeared unassuming. Not too thick.
Perfect. That’s all the energy I had anyway.
I needed a distraction from all the heavy questions I was asking God. The title caught my eye — because I felt anything but lifegiving.
Weary.
That described me better.
Was I of worth? Was I going to amount to anything?
Tammy offered a beautiful picture that reflected a life of faith —
“We are not lifegivers because we have mastered the art of servanthood or because we have outgoing personalities. Simply put, we are lifegivers by design.
God Himself fashioned us to be lifegivers.It is a great urge within each one of us to nourish and nurture life around us.
This powerful potential in every woman is unleashed in Christ, the Ultimate Lifegiver.”
Lifegiving.
Eventhough I didn’t know how long the journey to my tomorrow would take, I knew God had beauty in mind.
After all, isn’t that what God offers to those who put their faith in Him?
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
Aren’t these all ingredients for a truly beautiful life?
I wanted to experience these beautiful fruits of the Spirit in increasing measure.
Nurture and Invest
I started to make a list of ways I could nurture faith in my inner life and make changes to express that faith in my outer life — to invest in God’s lifegiving design in me.
The world has its system of values: significance, worth and success.
Sometimes, we (our self will) can be our worst enemy, the part of us that forgets about God’s grace.
Both systems can crowd in, sending us messages that attack our sense of worth as lifegiving people of God.
Let’s get rebellious.
Let’s swap ideas to nourish and nurture faith in the daily grind.
It will look different for you and for me.
Maybe sharing them will spark off a new adventure. Add some beauty, hope and joy.
The lifegiving journey of faith I embarked on brought me all this and more.
Let’s get rebellious.
Let’s move out in faith. In Everyday Life.
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What are ways you nurture your faith?
Do you find it takes a bit of “rebellion” to move forward in faith?
Pull up a chair. Click to share a comment or subscribe by email.
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July is the month before Faith Barista’s birthday! To countdown, our theme this month reflects the heart of Faith Barista: keeping faith fresh.
*** NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN — FAITH BARISTA JAM! ***
Faith Barista Jam Thursdays — I serve up a topic of faith, you write the post. Let’s encourage each other. Add your voice. Swap our stories.
This Thursday’s Topic 7/21:
How is God challenging you to keep faith fresh?Share your post by clicking on the blue button below “Add Your Link” or just comment directly.
Next Thurday’s Topic 7/28:
How are you finding beauty in everyday life?
Approach it any way you feel inspired!
Only required ingredient: keep it real. Thanks for serving your personal brews!
Build the Keep Fresh Fresh Community: Grab the HTML Code For Faith Barista Jam Badge
HTML Code For the Faith Jam Faith Fresh Badge
It’s a jam session. As time allows, say hi & drop a comment when visiting the community faith blends!
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31 Comments
I’m so excited to join your Jam for the first time! Thanks for stirring it up for us all!
Blessings!
Beth
Yay, Beth! Can’t wait to sip your brew!
I love the inspiration I find in this post. Sometimes we DO have to get rebellious to give (and receive) life. I got rebellious to my comfort zone the past week and found new sources of life in a foreign country.
Wow! Lisa, you’re being a bit mysterious… Can’t wait to hear all about it. 🙂
[…] friend Bonnie from The Faith Barista is asking the question "How do you keep your faith […]
Change is necessary sometime even though it so hard to do… we are our worst enemy that’s for sure. but we can use each other!
We are not alone. We can be each other’s faith friends – God with skin-on – for the journey! Thanks, Katie!
By telling myself what God has done so far and to trust Him in the nothing–the uncertain darkness of tomorrow; to relinquish control; to let go.
So great to hear your sharing, Nikole. *hugs*
Oh to be only lifegiving. Praying for such. Thank you for this inspiring post. (And for hosting us each week!)
Thanks for pouring your encouraging jam too, Caroline!
Bonnie, your work here at Faith Barista is definitely a life-giving venture!! And I love your godly use of the idea of a healthy rebellion against the world!! Keep doing what you do Girl!!
Shaunie
Thank you, Shaunie! 🙂
Yes, this is what I feel when I visit here: that gift of the deep breath–life. Your words give me room and open the heart, Bonnie. So thankful for the ways you share.
So true, Bonnie. We have to rebel against the world’s systems and our own inflated sense of self to truly become people who live by faith and not sight. Wonderful reminder. Thanks so much.
[…] do I do to keep my faith fresh? That was the question posed by Bonnie at Faith Barista. I wanted to answer, “Well, I pray and study the word; I go to church and seek out good […]
Anyone who moves forward must have some portion of rebellion, perhaps to go across the grain of what other think you should or should not be doing. Let us pick up the Word of Truth and Fight the Good Fight of faith. Perhaps a Spiritually rebellious person is one who steps OUT of the Box and obeys God even if it wasn’t always done this way before!!
Bonnie, I’m at a place similar to the one you experienced. I lack direction and trust, while carrying the baggage of unfulfilled dreams. Thanks for the challenge to keep my faith fresh! 🙂
I stopped dreaming altogether. I couldn’t see past the end of the day let alone allow myself to dream. Dreams always, ALWAYS, shattered. So I stopped. Completely. I hadn’t thought of my journey to healing as rebellion but I can see now that in a sense it was just that! I was sick and tired of being sick and tired! I reached out, God took hold of me. Through the years of healing I have found that if I just do little things like determine to read for 15 minutes a day in my Bible to making a point of writing out my prayers in a prayer journal I would witness my own belief in my faith would deepen. I knew I believed what God said in the Bible but I really couldn’t feel it. Over time, it happened and now I am stepping out in my faith little by little. Without anxiety! One giant step that will hopefully blast my faith to an entirely new level is going on a mission trip. Something I would have NEVER done in my wildest dreams even 6 months ago!
I leave June 30th for a week long trip to Joplin, Mo.
My first mission trip with 11 other people whom I trust (most of them because I already know them!) God is so good to me to put me in this group of people!
So, yeah, its rebellion to fight back against the fears that would tell me that I couldn’t do something before but NOW I’m going to do them!
Thankyou again bonnie for these words and reminders. Looking forward to next week’s jam!
I definitely think it takes a bit of rebellion to live faith out loud! Living in a very liberal state and still standing firm and not hiding my faith feels rebellious. And people are paying attention – in a good way. My co-workers are asking and, somehow, even though I am such a new Christian, I can answer. In some ways I feel God is stripping me bare of all my comforts, those things that truly distract me, to show me how worthwhile I am WITHOUT them; how much I can accomplish.
Hi Bonnie…I’m glad I found your post…It is very inspiring and it stresses out a lot of insights…Thanks!!!
You asked what we do to nurture our faith. The big turn for me was when God rearranged my relationships. He has brought people into my life, nurturers, not necessarily buddies, but Titus women. Being open to them and choosing to spend time with them has irrevocably changed me and helped me dig deep wells for faith to pool and well up.
[…] This subject was prompted by The Bonnie Gray at Faith Barista […]
Many lessons in life are learned when you have experience having mistakes in life and learn to correct the mistakes we have. When we have committed mistakes, we can realize the things that we needed to correct and never do again.
I believe that god has it’s own way to gain us happiness even if we don’t see it right away! wishing u all the best 🙂
Fantastic blog Bonnie…Good grief girl…keep writing….
I was a bit rebellious before too and I think that made me strong in a way then…
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