Forged By Faith

Ecclesiastes 3:12 NIV Among all of our struggles and weaknesses and issues, our tendency to overcomplicate basically everything is easily one of the most common practices in all of humanity. It's almost as if we set out to find the hardest, most painful, most insane way of doing whatever it is that we're trying to do. If there's an easy path, we'll pass it by. If there's a simple way, we'll convince ourselves it can't be that easy. If there's a warning sign, we'll ignore it. We just seem to have this idea in our minds that life is complex and therefore simply must be complicated. And so when it comes to something like happiness which is honestly extremely simple, we find the most arduous path to reach it. That's been the basis of our discussions for several days now. Every single one of us are searching for the same things. We’re all looking for happiness and to live lives that have meaning. And yet, when we look around at the lives people are li...

Isaiah 12:3 NIV I've noticed another alarming trend that seems to impact all of us. It’s that we tend to view happiness as something to be found rather than a choice to be made. I was thinking about this the other night, and what I'm absolutely sure of is that happiness is a choice. The problem is that we rarely remember that we can make that choice. Instead, we usually just allow our circumstances, our feelings, our complaints to make our choice for us. And when things like that get to do the deciding, well, I can all but guarantee that happiness will not be the outcome that’s reached. What I've found in all of my studying of humanity and nit-picking my own life and the choices made within is that everyone wastes so much time looking for happiness as if it can be found in a certain place, a certain thing, a certain outcome. We live as if happiness is hiding somewhere around us and we have to go on playing this game of hide and seek with it until we've tracked it down. ...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV Thankfulness is something that is pretty much only found when life is going our way. We humans are so wrapped up in what we want and how we want life to go that anything that differs from those preferences is almost always met with disdain and disappointment. We sit around every single day and dream up these perfect lives that always work out just right and lead to every desire fulfilled just as we'd like. But as we all know by this point, life doesn't take into account our preferences. We've been talking for a couple of days about our tendency to complain. We look at what we're handed in life and compare it with those perfect ideals that we have brainstormed. And when the perfection of our dreams seems a far cry from the confusion and uncertainty of reality, it leaves us with a choice. But unfortunately, we often allow our circumstances to make that decision for us when we fall into anger and disapproval every time that life unfolds in a manner...

Psalm 43:5 NIV Sitting here this morning watching the clouds slowly roll by outside our window, and I just feel like I've misplaced something. Like I've let something slip out of my hands. Didn't notice it at the time. Didn't feel it slipping away. Don't know when it happened or how long it took. But it just feels like something is further from reach than it should be. Life can be a heavy weight to carry. There's no doubt about it. We face rainy days and hard times. We get blindsided with challenges we never would have chosen to endure. We get caught in this seemingly endless ebb and flow of joy and sorrow. But if we ever took a step back and looked at things we might realize that much of the grief we face is actually caused by choices we make, or fail to make. Happiness is a pretty necessary thing in life but how often do we really make it a priority? How often do we actually evaluate the things we're doing to ensure that they're not keeping that happin...

Ecclesiastes 3:12 NIV This one really hit me this weekend. Back in 2018 I decided to make some changes and start taking better care of myself. So I started working out, lifting weights, and eating better. And one of the people that I have learned the most from suddenly passed away Sunday. John Meadows helped me learn so many things about not only exercise and diet, but also about being a good person, helping others, and living a life that's full of joy no matter what's going on. I've read so many posts from the people that he had coached and connected with and they all have nothing but good things to say. Pretty clear that he made a massive impact in so many lives, mine included! And I've been thinking about that a lot the past couple of days. The way we live sends a message. The way we treat others, the things we say, the things that we're passionate about really do have an impact. Each of us have the chance to lift others up. We can encourage people to grow, impro...

2 Peter 1:4 NIV I've felt this shift happening in my life recently. It's hard to explain. Hard to sum up. It's this deepening of what matters and the letting go of what doesn't. It's a change in priorities and perspectives. It's this new outlook on everything that is leading me in a new direction that I couldn't be more excited about. It feels like the very essence of what we talked about yesterday in becoming fools to this world and its ways and learning something different. Throughout the 6+ years of sharing these posts I've talked a lot about not wanting to be like this world. But now that I feel God leading me through this process of actual separation, it's more amazing than I can describe! It really is this feeling of disconnect from all the weight that I've carried my whole life. It's the opportunity to let go of the past mistakes, the current expectations, and the future worries. But one of the biggest things is this freedom from the o...

Romans 3:23 NIV This one has really been on my mind lately. We need to lighten up and give ourselves a break. I don't know about you, but I can get to the point where I'm so hard on myself that nothing I do seems good enough. This worldly aspiration to be perfect is truly consuming. We learn to see our flaws and if we're not careful then they just might become all we can see period! Now if you've read previous posts then you know I'm all about growing and improving. I believe that God calls us to strive to change for the better and never stop chasing after Him. But we need to be careful that perfection doesn't become our goal. That should never be our pursuit because it just isn't possible. If perfection is our goal then we will constantly be disappointed in ourselves and convinced that we'll never be good enough. I've had my eyes opened to how self-critical I'd become lately. I had noticed that being happy seemed a little further away. All the t...

Philippians 4:11 NIV I've been thinking a lot about happiness here lately. I think it's one of those things that we all want in life but it often seems evasive. Hidden behind our circumstances. Dictated by our disappointments. The truth is that happiness is easy to find but it requires us looking in a place that not many people know how to find anymore. Happiness is directly connected to contentment. Being satisfied in life is definitely rare anymore. Everyone is always looking for something else. People never have enough, and what they do have can't come close to filling the holes left by hopes and desires. We've gone so far in the direction of materialism and comfort that we have completely lost the art of being content. And if we're not content with our lives, with who we are, with the simple things then happiness will continue to elude us. As I said a few posts back, if our happiness is tied to things then we're headed for disappointment. If we can only be j...

Psalm 37:4 NIV My family and I were talking about happiness last night. We heard that the annual World Happiness Report was released and that sparked our little discussion. I've really discovered something powerful this past week breaking away from all the technology as much as possible. It's a fact that I always knew but this little change recently has helped me realize it's even more true than I ever thought before. Happiness is inside! It's not in things. It's not in worldly opinions or approval. It's not in getting our way all the time. Happiness isn't reserved for only those rare days when everything is just right. No happiness is this gift that God has given us to enjoy whenever and wherever we choose to let it surface. Our joy never goes away it simply gets hidden behind other things like stress and worry. When our happiness is tied to anything outside of ourselves then we're probably headed for disappointment. Basing our happiness on something th...

Psalm 118:24 ESV As I write this I just feel irritated. You ever feel that way? I woke up like that and I don't have any clue as to why. To be honest this has been a really strange season in my family and I's life. It's one of those times when everything just doesn't seem to make sense. Everything is harder than it needs to be. Just as soon as it feels like something is getting back to normal it all gets shaken up again. I know that we've all experienced times like that. Oddly enough I had a post in mind about finding happiness. And I actually think it's pretty fitting that I woke up today a little sideways. Happiness doesn't hunt us down. It doesn't just show up at our door when everything makes sense and the sun is shining bright. Most of the time happiness is hidden behind the clouds of frustration that often blow across our horizons. So we better get used to steadily seeking happiness in life. Our lives will never be all sunshine and rainbows. We oft...

1 Timothy 6:6 NIV So many people just won't allow themselves to be happy. These days it's all about materialism and having everything go our way all the time. And when things inevitably go counter to our hopes then we freak out and get all angry. When we don't get something we want then we start feeling sorry for ourselves. Not sure why we feel the need to continually chase things that can't make us happy, but we need to realize that we already have enough. Being content is something that's becoming far too scare these days. Seems like everyone is focused on finding something in this world that makes them happy. Some look to things sitting on shelves at the store. Other think that happiness is found in trying to please someone else or fit into some group. But what we will always find is that it doesn't really matter what we have around us. If we're not happy inside then nothing outside can help. The more I focus on my faith and make growing toward Christ my ...

Proverbs 17:22 NIV This is a little reminder that you can be happy. Not really sure why, but that fact seems to be lost on many in our modern society. Maybe it's because there's so much going on around us lately. Or perhaps it's just because happiness is sometimes really hard to find in life. Whatever the reason we need to get past it and work on simply finding joy again. I don't quite understand why anyone wouldn't want to be happy and cheerful. Sure, life sucks sometimes but it's only that much worse when we let it bring us down. When we are constantly playing the victim to our circumstances then we're only allowing them to have this power over us. We're giving whatever we're going through the right to keep us from being happy. Why do that? Do not get me wrong, I completely understand that not everything in life is smooth or easy or enjoyable. Fully understand that! Most things go differently than we'd like and some stuff is as miserable and pa...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV With having just celebrated Thanksgiving, I've been thinking a lot about all we have to be thankful for. This year it seems that many of those blessings and gifts have been forgotten or overshadowed by all the struggles. And they get even further obscure when you add in the fact that we have a bad habit of taking them for granted. In reality, as I've always said, we have more to be thankful for than we do to complain about. And it's about time that we remember that. The problem that we often run in to is that it's hard to be thankful when we're focused on all the wrong things. If we're always busy looking at our problems, weaknesses, struggles, and challenges then we're going to miss all the blessings that are pouring in. Life will always be a mix of good and bad, hard and easy. The bad will always be there, but the good things will too. It's completely on us what we choose to look at. This past week I've shared Bible verse p...

Ecclesiastes 3:12 NIV I have a bit of news that may come as a shock to some of you. Kind of one of those things that I think we tend to ignore for the most part. But no amount of ignoring it will change it's truth. So here we go: Odds are we're not getting out of this alive. I know, and I'll give you a minute. (insert brief moment of shock here) It's just the way it is my friends. These lives that we're living have an expiration date. With so much going on around us in the middle of probably the most deranged year in history, I wanted to encourage you all just let some things go. So many people are so riled up and deep in these fights and arguments. A lot of others just don't feel well. A bunch of us are simply tired of seeing all the drama and foolishness. Still others are losing hope and all the madness is really getting to all of us in some way. Life is just too short to get caught up in all the bleak parts. Why spend any amount of time being miserable if you...