15 and Counting
Is it coincidence? I think not. But it does take faith to acknowledge the hand of God. I’ve been thinking about the life of faith lately and how God directs our path.
Sometimes I stop and think about all the decisions that went into the unique set of present circumstances. We all have the freedom to make decisions, and yet those decisions are never a surprise to God. God is all-knowing, which means there isn’t anything He can learn, even the choices we are free to make. It’s a mind-blowing mystery of God, a tension to embrace rather than resolve.
July 29 is more than a date on the calendar. It’s the day my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. I was so excited to test out my NASCAR skills on the way to the hospital and all the other birthing stuff, too! We had no clue what exactly we were heading into, but we thought we were ready. It felt like God had placed us in a spiritual boot camp during the nine months prior. The birth of a child is always significant, but for us it was the culmination of a hard season and the dawn of a new one. We desired a child for years, and God heard those prayers. God hadn’t been procrastinating; He was preparing us.
Being a father has simultaneously been the greatest blessing and challenge of my life. I know it’s not everyone’s calling, and if it isn’t, you’re in good company. Jesus, The Apostle Paul, and George Washington, just to name a few. But God knew that for me, being a father would be a formative experience in building my faith. The conception and birth of our first child coincided with a season of spiritual formation that drew me to my heavenly Father at every step.
Coincidence? I only see the hand of God.
The annual celebration of Elliott’s birth causes me to reflect on the substance of faith. His birth marks the transformative work of God in helping me understand faith as a verb. What we believe matters. How it impacts our life does too! God wants us to experience His goodness. He’s not playing hide and seek. A genuine desire to experience God is always granted. I believe that because I’ve experienced that.
Faith is the avenue by which God guides our path. The connections of our lives go beyond coincidence and point towards a loving Father who gives us purpose. When I look at my son, it’s a reminder that God has my life in His hands. He will make a way in due time. Faith isn’t the absence of doubt, but it does require that we surrender our lives to the authority of God. Open hands and open hearts.
The essence of faith is believing in the goodness of God as we submit the outcome of our decisions to our gracious God. That’s when our faith comes alive! It’s not about getting what we want but embracing that the purpose of our life is revealed as we pursue Jesus. We don’t have to know it all before we take the first step. The faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain. But we must relinquish control.
After years of wrestling with God, He finally wore me out. I didn’t know all the facts, but I did know that I wanted God to work in my life. I wanted to experience God. He granted me the desire of my heart by giving me a son. God gave me a son in His due time so that I would know it wasn’t a coincidence. This was the very hand of God.