A few years ago, I borrowed some books on parenting. Before finishing the Forward section on one of them, health problems snowballed in our family. Hence, I switched to titles as Think Like a Pancreas (in a season I could hardly even think at all).
Time passed. I picked up my borrowed books again. These hard-to-put-down pages tagged along with me everywhere errands took me. One unfortunate-mushy banana later, I owed my friend a new copy of her book (as it smudged all over its white pages).
Yes. I borrowed a book. I embraced it till I stained it, and made it my own.
So it is with our faith. I borrowed mine from my parents. They made it appealing, and not appalling.
Doing life in a godly family was joyful. There was so much singing by candlelight as the post-communist era kept a tight-fist on electricity. Our house was often filled with laughter, food and foreigners reaching out with the Gospel to the now-open borders.
Ministry was never dull. My brothers and I tagged along with my parents as they did evangelism each night of the week covering dozens of villages and towns in the South of Moldova. Our task was to sing, preferably as close as possible to the original tune.
My parent’s faith was moving. Literally. Their journey is packed with excitement, trouble, laughter, and tears all together. A faith that is alive, inspiring, desirable, and sincere.
So must have been the faith of Timothy’s grandmother Lois, and his mother’s Eunice. A faith that inspired. A faith worth checking into. A faith that he borrowed as a child, then made it his own.
Paul talks about it “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5
Our faith should be tagging along with us wherever errands take us. It needs to be evident to those we rub shoulders with, starting at home, then moving down the street to our neighbors, and on to work. It needs to be weaved into all our relationships God entrusted us with.
If our faith is nothing more than a ‘concealed gun’ on an undercover officer, we’re stating that we’re ‘undercover’ believers. And we were not called to be that. Our faith needs to be noticed, and inspiring.
Do others ‘crave’ to have what we’ve got? Peace, gladness, and a calm spirit not dictated by circumstances? A ‘joy that surpasses all understanding’? A heart that sings even when it’s aching? A relationship with the Saviour, and not a mere religion set by rules? A faith that stands, even when the ground is shaking?
I borrowed my faith from my parents, and made it my own… only to pass it along, just like a good book.
May the Lord enable us to boldly declare this year with the apostle Paul in Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”…