Trying in faith

Let's look today at what faith is and what faith is not.

Faith is, according to scripture, what we walk in as opposed to sight. In other words, if you can see what you are anticipating, then one is not using faith. Faith is the trigger for your salvation, for the grace of God. It is the mechanism for our justification. It is more than belief. It is followed by works, or deeds.

Faith is not, however, wishing, hoping, scheming.

I say all that to say this: I continue to send books that I have written to agents I do not know in a time of economic hardship that causes unsolicited books to be rejected with little regard to their worthiness. I will continue to do so against all odds.

Why?

I have faith that God meant for me to be doing this. It is one of only a couple skills or gifts that the Holy Spirit has given me, so to not TRY would, I think, be an afront to the Holy Spirit, quenching Him as it were.

But it's hard. It's hard when for 34 years I was semi-trained as a journalist to look at the facts and react accordingly. The facts are that my novel has been turned down by one publisher and is in the e-mail hands of six or eight agents. My book about God's call has been turned down by at least 10 agents and had no word on a publisher. Neither looks particularly promising because the agents don't make it past the proposal stage to the reading the manuscript stage so it really doesn't matter how well the book is written because they never get around to reading it.

Sort of like this blog.

But I continue to TRY because I believe that's what God would have me do.

Matthew 9:28-29 gives us a scary, scary thought: "And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus said to them, Do you believe I am able to do this? They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith let it be so."

According to your faith, let it be so?

The scary thought is maybe we are all being blessed according to our faith. Maybe the blessings we have are in direct scale to the faith we have. Maybe it's on us, not on Jesus.

So look at your faith today and make a decision. I've always been like Centurian who said something akin to, "I believe, help me with my unbelief."

I don't dance to the tune of a happy, happy soldier. I believe, strongly, but I get down on my own chances. So I TRY, and I wait.

Is that enough faith to let it be so? Only time will tell.

Till then, let us try.