Active Faith

11:13 a.m. Today's project is to prepare for attending my daughter-in-law's cousin's quincenera in Long Beach this afternoon. I am excited that Kriss and Marisela invited us to attend because I have never been to one. Steve and I got his clothes selected and placed in the right area of his closet last night, and set out today. Since the dress code will be "business casual," he can skip the tie, and I can wear a nice pants outfit.

There is always strife when it comes to Steve's clothing, because he never wakes up (like most of us do) knowing what the plans are for the day. So instead of coming downstairs dressed to take care of chores this morning, he came dressed in his nicest jeans and good shirt. He'd completely forgotten that he'll be wearing a dress shirt and slacks that he'll put on later. So after he took his meds, he went back upstairs to dress for walking the dogs and yard work. On a normal day, he can end up with several changes of clothes, but for special occasions, the tension rachets up considerably.

I just lift the situation to the Lord, keep going forward with the dressing process (or sandwich-making, knife-and -fork eating, whatever the issue may be). Alzheimer's steals both time and joy, but in Christ Steve and I still have love and victories every day. And we seek Him together several times a day! As Psalm 138:8 says, "God will perfect all that concerns me."

In my NLT scripture reading today, Hebrews Chapter 11, I read the commentary on faith by George Guthrie. I was so inspired by it that I will quote sections at length:

Some see faith as any kind of spirituality ("he is a person of faith). Others understand it as a resolute belief that something good is going to happen to them, a ticket to health and wealth. Still others think that faith is a blind leap against known facts. None of these constitutes biblical faith.

Instead, faith involves confident action in response to what God has made known...Faith is rewarded sooner and sometimes later, but people of faith anticipate the rewards because of their confidence in God's character.

What does it mean to live by faith? It means that, in our various circumstances, we live out our belief "that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him" (11:6). Those who live by faith take confident action based on what God has revealed about His character, seeking to do His will in all things.

Lord, let me not just be grateful for "head knowledge" about faith. Let me put my faith in action today, to be a loving, compassionate wife and mother, and a witness for You to those who do not know You as their personal Savior! In Jesus' Name, amen.