A Ton of Faith

While it is grace that is more than sufficient for the journey with Christ, it takes a ton of faith to walk the road where He leads.  Grace makes it all possible for us to have a road upon which to put our feet, but it is the act of faith which keeps them in motion once we are enabled by grace to see the road.   If it is true that faith has to do with living in the presence of what cannot be seen, then a ton or two is going to required for us to make it down the road to the place where our home awaits us.

 

What we could never really possibly figure when we started with Christ are all the things which are ahead.  Some of it might have been obvious to us, but most of it falls into the category of the unexpected.  To look back over the years of following Christ is to realize how impossible it would have been for me to know what was ahead down the road and into the years.  And to be honest, if we had some window through which we could look ahead and see all the tough stuff which awaits us, we might very likely turn and try to find another way. 

 

Satan tried to tempt Jesus in this way at the very beginning of His ministry.  The temptations which are recorded shortly after His baptism were not temptations to do the outrageous or terrible things.  Satan surely understood the goals of Jesus and simply sought to offer Him an alternative route to accomplish them.  It is much the same for us as we walk this road of faith in Christ.  The way forward with Jesus can be really hard.  The road often leads us into some places we would not choose to go, into some darkness we would rather avoid, and into some difficulties which seem to be insurmountable.  The tempter seems to walk along with us showing us other paths to take.  It takes a ton of faith to stay on the road trusting that Jesus will get us through even though other options suggest an easier way.