Faith Is . . . Inspire: Creative Journaling Bible

So there’s a lot going on in the world today that I’d like to, but can’t (and really shouldn’t) ignore. I don’t even want to start the laundry list of upset, because I’ll inevitably forget or neglect something or go sideways with it.

As things of late have been happening, I’m understanding more and more there’s a before, during, and after. For everything. Except God. He’s just an all-inclusive is.

My faith has been challenged recently. It’s been uplifted, spun around, trampled on, revived, amplified, and abused. And I’m the prime culprit.

Yet it holds. In the dark thoughts, in the silent screams, in the moments of “I don’t know what comes next!”, it says, “Hold on.” It says, “Things are gonna get better.”

It says, “Trust me.”

It proves itself to me time and again, when it shifts from thought to reality.

It is strong. It is the dynamic of what is and what will be. Did you catch that? What is and what will be. Imperatives. Not suggestions. Not ideas. But absolute, positive, imperative.

Faith is not a question.

Faith says, “I will do this.” “I will be that.” And then it hangs around and waits until it happens.

Faith isn’t a wish with fairy dust.

I purchased my new Bible two weeks ago tonight. It was a bonus purchase when Faith brought my community together in such an immediate response that I was enabled to purchase Raven, my new laptop and needed accessories. That was a journey of faith, let me tell you.

Faith Is . . . My Writing Desk

And I was blessed with far more than just the essentials. A new desk, swivel chair, better lighting. And yes, an adult coloring book. All things a creative person needs to exceed.

Naomi told me of a friend of hers who teaches creative Bible journaling; that is, using scrapbooking/artistry to delve deeper. I told her I wasn’t sure I could do that to a Bible. But then I thought, I’m a creative. I’m not sure I couldn’t do that to a Bible. Especially a Bible designed with a creative reader in mind. If it causes me to connect with God and my world in a better way, how could I not explore the option?

But of course, it’s a new Bible. It’s pretty. It smells like a book should smell. The pages are smooth and the words are crisp.

And I’m human.

I’m gonna mess this up.

So, for the last two weeks, I kept the Bible where it doesn’t belong. In its box. On the desk. Untouched. Unopened. Like a precious gem.

But here’s the thing about Bibles. The more they’re used, the more they’re worn, and marked and highlighted and underlined and notated . . . That’s when they’re priceless.

I have several Bible verses that I hold to consistently. Lately, another has been creeping into the forefront of my spirit, begging me to grasp it, to understand it.

And as God will often do, He confirmed this understanding by having it presented to me in several different ways. Through conversations. A Facebook meme. Dreams. Song lyrics.

So tonight, I opened my gem to find the Gem.

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for;

it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” [Hebrews 11:1, NLT].

God’s been impressing upon me lately the value and the promise of Faith. How, without Faith, nothing would be accomplished.

You bake because you have Faith the cookies won’t burn down the house.

You drive with Faith that the brakes will work when they need to, and that you will reach your destination.

You love in Faith that it will be returned to you.

Now, these are human examples and at times, subject to fail. But overall, you see it, don’t you?

Faith is the tangible realization of what we keep in our hearts.

But wait ~ there’s more!

Faith is the driving force behind our success and excess. Faith is what moves mountains out of our way, and moves us over the muddy pits.

Faith is what gets us from Point A to Point B. We can’t be swayed from it. We know deep in our gut that this is who we are, what we are destined to be. The path may [will] turn, in parts be grown over and hard to follow, but it is still the path we’re meant to be on.

Faith says so. Faith says, “Don’t give up, honey.” It says, “We got this.”

Faith says, “Lean on me.”

When things seem dark and chaotic and noisy and unclear, Faith is the flashlight. It is what motivates all heroes to fight against the dark, to stand and run when others fall.

It’s what’s calling you.

Faith, like God, Is.

Faith Is . . . What Superheroes Are Made Of

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

CLICK TO TWEET: Tweet: Frankly, My Dear . . . Faith isn’t a question. It’s a flashlight. @realmojo68

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