Have you ever felt the burden of becoming another age? You know when you finally realize you are no longer in the sandbox with other kids but you find yourself swimming in a vast ocean of sharks. If you have not, then brace yourself because it is coming. If you have, like myself, found yourself in the exciting yet unfamiliar place of maturity then I am here to tell you the best is yet to come.
When I was a kid, my face of faith was full of hope and promise. My Faith was beaming brightly in my family and my surroundings. Even with all the struggles and hardships my family faced, I never felt any of that. I can still see myself, excited to wake up each morning in expectation of a new experience or new friend. I knew there was a God, but I did not know then how He had made the life I was living all possible. I only could have the faith I had then because He was covering me and sheltering me from all the ugly behind the green curtain. And just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, who was at first in awe and hopeful for her journey in a magical land, I know now that God protected me from seeing the real person that was the great Oz….behind that green curtain. My face of faith then was totally dependant on my family and surroundings. What happens when all of that changes?
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
When I had hit my adolescent years, my family started moving around. My childhood home was no longer my home, and my mom and I moved to another house in another neighborhood before we were to do the big move to another state. I did not feel different then, until the first night I realized half of my family members were now miles away. It was just my mom and me. My familiar street was gone, my familiar bedroom was gone, my backyard was gone, my surroundings were now gone. I even lost my childhood pet that was a family member to me. Let’s just say my face of faith crumbled.
Even though my faith in my surroundings had changed, I still held a small flicker of promise and hope inside of me. I know now that God was still covering me. He was covering me from seeing all that was going on behind the scenes and how hard it really was on my mom. While in that temporary setting, I saw my mom everyday, went to school, had my friends, watched my normal TV programs, and talked to my other family members every night. I gained a rythem to my days. My Faith built up again and I was once more excited about what was to come. That was my uncertain faith face.
“For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:3
As Christians we are going to face many changes in life. Many of these changes are unavoidable. And when having to face a different set of circumstances that require you to step out your comfort zone, it can make the strongest person weak.
My pre-teen years were full of uncertainty, but yet I had to endure. I had to grow up. I had to put away my single digits years to face double digit responsibility. I became a big sister, moved to another state, a new house, and started at a new school. Even though I am grown now, I still cringe at how rough that time was for me. But, I endured. Most of us have had less changes, but the hardships are all the same. Each phase of our life comes with a different faith face. There will be strong faith faces, tired faith faces, hopeful faith faces, and even sad faith faces. But in all the different seasons of life our faith should stay steady because Christ’s love for us is steady and unchanging.
Finally, I want to tell you that no matter what faith face you have on today, you must know you are not alone. We all face change differently, but we all matter just the same. We go through trials, trials do not go through us. Faith has many faces and it is okay to show them. We all got this!
Sincerely,
Terryn
MODERN FAITHERELLA 