A few weeks ago, my daughter was unable to sleep. She kept coming in my room repeatedly concerned about the possibility of a snake swallowing her whole while she slept. We talked about her fear and the unlikely possibility of a snake that large getting into her room at night. And then I reminded her that when we are afraid we only have to pray that God will take our fears away and trust that He will take care of us.
The following morning as we drove to school she told me that she wasn’t afraid anymore because she knew that God would protect her. It was a gut-wrenching moment for me as I had laid awake for hours the night before harboring my own fears. How often do I give my kids advice that I don’t follow myself? If only I could have faith like a child and just believe that once I have turned something over to the Lord that I no longer need to lay awake worrying about the snakes in my own life.
Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of reading the book, Into the Deep, by Lauren Gaskill. Lauren addresses the pain, suffering, frustrations that we all face in life and shows us how we can dive headfirst into a life of courageous faith. She says early in her book, “There was a time in my life when I let my struggles define me, but I’m not going back there—to the darkness, to the night, to the overwhelming pit of despair. And neither are you. Because we have been called into the light—into a life of courageous faith.”
As I have studied chapter by chapter of her book, I have been both encouraged and challenged to dive deeper into my faith, and to remind my children how to let their faith have power over their fears. She reminds the reader that a fearless faith is not a fairy tale, and it is obtainable if we only put our trust in God. So often, I let my fears and insecurities get the best of me, and I allow them power over parts of my life that they should have never been allowed to reach—all because I don’t put my trust in the ONLY one who can calm all my fears.
It’s not enough to have faith, we have to be able to live out that faith daily. We have to be able to look at every situation that we face with a trust in Him and a belief that that faith will move the mountains in our lives. When we surrender to His will and to his guidance, those mountains in our life, don’t seem so hard to face.
“In the good times and the bad times, I’ve learned that trusting God and surrendering my all to Him is the best way to live, because it takes the burden off my shoulders.”- Lauren Gaskill, Into the Deep
I encourage everyone to grab a copy of this book. Read it alone, study it with a friend, message me if you want to chat about the wisdom in it’s pages! And if this is a book you think would challenge you and encourage you in your faith, leave a comment below! I have a copy I will be giving away to a reader who comments before Friday, November 9th!