Faith Inspection
I went to have my car inspected with the required documents on hand. The inspector asked me to step out of the car and wait at the other end of the inspection lane. I stood and watched the process unfold. I never know what to expect and hope for the best. As I watched from afar, I began to think of the day I purchased my vehicle, the travels, the journeys, and the many trips. I thought of the snowstorms it had endured on the road, the tires hitting the hot summer roads, and the hydroplaning on rainy days that threatened my safety. My car looked good from where I stood, strong, trustworthy, and reliable. I felt joy and pride for all it had endured under my ownership thus far, and thought of the roads and travels ahead.
“OK, miss. You’re all set”, the inspector called out. “All done?” I asked. “All done,” he replied. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the inspector place the inspection ticket on the windshield. As I walked over to my vehicle, I felt a sense of pride as if my car had passed the most challenging school tests with flying colors. “Thank you!” I got into my 11-year-old car and felt proud and secure again in my reliable transport. I thanked God for my car, and that all went well. And then, of course, I felt a sermon coming on! James 1:2-4 reads, “2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face various trials, consider it all joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance complete its work, so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing.”
James writes this short letter to the twelve tribes so that they may call it joy when facing trials. Trials or tests that may come our way help us approach them with faith, and our trust in God increases all the more.
Reflect on the unexpected circumstances and life’s demanding situations when you feel most vulnerable. How do you approach these life road conditions and surprising twists, turns, and U-turns? Do you look through the rear-view mirror at the roads traveled or focus on the road ahead? Do stop signs, red lights, and sudden halts bring you frustration because of your hurried life? Do you take advantage of the yellow light to slow down and pause for a moment to think, reflect, become aware of your surroundings, and God’s presence and care for you? Do you care enough for others and yourself to yield for their safety and your well-being?
Know that no matter the weather or the conditions of the roads of life that may be less visible due to the rain pouring from our eyes, the sudden stops, and critical times when we have to make quick decisions, it is our faith and trust in God that will help us rest secure in God’s love for us through Jesus’s compassion, grace, and mercy under the full coverage of the Holy Spirit, and always find joy come what may.
Look to Jesus, smile, and allow yourself to feel pride and joy knowing, by faith and trust in God, whose you are and who goes with you on the road ahead and on the roads less traveled.
May the month of August be filled with the awareness of God’s presence in your life and the life of those around you!
In the love of Christ and my very own,
Pastor Iraida