Not For the Faint of Heart

(Timing is a bit off because I actually drafted it last week!)

Planning a 50-state road trip is not for the faint of heart.

Let me make that more general: living a life of faith is not for the faint of heart.

Yet there is such irony in that statement! Why? Because it is exactly in the moments when we feel MOST faint in heart that God reveals His presence to us. 

Still. Living a life of faith is an all-consuming adventure filled with near-breakdown moments and times of excitement, but most importantly an overwhelming understanding of God's work in our lives. 

The Road Trip has consumed my life. My time. My thoughts. My actions. My priorities. My money. I think about it when I wake up and when I sleep. Almost every plan/decision I make is weighed against the trip.

This week, that reality was breaking me. My health has not been very good this week. I've been tired and in pain for most of the week. Yet I had so many things on my plate, so I kept pushing through. Yesterday I hit my lowest point. Tears streamed down my face as I lay alone waiting for the acupuncture procedure to finish. I called out to God. As I called out to my Savior, I realized that I didn't need anything in my situation to change...I needed HIM. I cannot do this trip without His presence with me. 

And you know what? Today I feel more at peace than I have for a week. 

All I could think of before was how this journey was taking so much energy and questioning whether it was worth it. Now I realize that it was exactly my "faintness" that drew me into the Presence of the One who called me on this journey in the first place.

Would I really want to live an "easier" life without this calling? No. Life would still be difficult. The only thing I'd be missing was the peace that came from Christ. Hmm. Not worth it!

As you look at your life's challenges and question if you should be where you are, remember that God provides peace far greater than any circumstance I experience. If you are where God has called you, then keep looking to Him for guidance. And if you know God is challenging you to go somewhere that makes you feel "faint of heart," remember that God likely is exactly where God wants you. He will meet you there.