by Cindy Dahlman

“Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.”         

I have believed in God all of my life. But to be honest, I have had and still have moments where I question my faith. This always happens when I become complacent in my faith, when I am hurting or when I see others hurting.

The hurting happens with the “hard life” moments. Hard life moments are different for everyone. To name just a few, it happens when losing a parent, a life partner or a child. It happens with a serious health condition. It happens with the loss of a job, a divorce or a broken relationship. It happens when there is a natural disaster happening to people that we don’t even know.

When I find myself struggling with my faith, I find that I have been focusing on the wrong thing. While on the “hard life” journeys, I have turned my focus on the ride — the chariots and horses. I think I have more control, more power than I actually do. This leads to unintentional personal pride.  

But when I turn my focus back to my God, everything changes. When I focus on my Redeemer, the hurt is still there but there is a sense of victory to come. And in the overwhelming moments, I know God will answer me when I call his name.  

Our Savior allows us to bring everything to him. This includes any misplaced focus and unintentional pride. His forgiveness and love is constant.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for loving me as I am and where I am. Thank you for allowing me to bring my doubt, my hurt, my misplaced focus and my unintentional pride to you. I know that you will use these moments to help me grow in my faith to better serve you. Amen.