What kind of faith does it take to leave your comfortable life and move halfway around the world to live for a year with people whose language, culture and country you know nothing about? It takes the faith of my daughter.
Jenny Parker, 9, baptized by her grandfather, Ernest Shields.
Gigantic faith
The faith of my daughter is a living, active, every moving, ever-evolving faith.
The faith of my daughter believes life is not static, but dynamic.
The faith of my daughter is gigantic with an energy bigger than she can think, ask or imagine.1
Global faith
The faith of my daughter leads her away from her comfortable life to experience a much different, albeit broken world.
The faith of my daughter leads her to be wrecked2 so that she can understand more of God by understanding more cultures, people groups, languages.
The faith of my daughter beckons her forward to experience a new world of people and by doing so look into the varied faces of God; her God who longs to draw all people to Himself, but must do so through people who know Him.
The faith of my daughter takes her halfway around to be a friend, one American woman who will meet new people and establish relationships and get to know others different from herself, but oh so alike.
The faith of my daughter would not even think of being scared of the what-ifs of the unknown world that awaits her.
The faith of my daughter doesn’t worry about tomorrow because in Japan, God is already there. Click to tweet.
Galactic faith
The faith of my daughter is not confined to one state or nation.
The faith of my daughter is universal, galactic, shining brighter than the stars, reaching to the heavens.
The faith of my daughter is not limited by time and space.
The faith of my daughter is not confined to a locale or easily stashed in a box.
The faith of my daughter transcends everything she knows; everything she can see and touch and hold in her hand.
Genuine faith
The faith of my daughter is not so different from that of the generations of women of faith in our family lineage.
The faith of my daughter is like those dedicated female ancestors who followed God’s ways, learned His will and did His works day-in and day-out.
The faith of my daughter stands on the shoulders of “wild” women, those who have known her and those who have not. These women have have paved the road for her with worn shoes and tired feet, working endlessly for rights and justice.
The faith of my daughter, knowing all that has been done for her, propels her to do more and be more.
The faith of my daughter will allow her to be nothing less than genuinely herself.
Look out world, Jenny Parker is on her way.
God-given faith
The faith of my daughter is not a substance she can hold in her hand, but one she holds completely in her heart.
The faith of my daughter cannot yet see the results, but knows as sure as the sun will rise in the morning, that it is there.
The faith of my daughter gives her the confidence that what she is hoping for and believing in will actually happen.
The faith of my daughter is a firm foundation that makes life worth living.
The faith of my daughter gives her a handle on what and who she can’t yet see.3
Growing faith
The faith of my daughter is gigantic, global, galactic, genuine, God-given, and always growing.
The faith of my daughter began as a tiny mustard seed when at age eight, she placed her hand in God’s and accepted His Son’s gift of sacrifice for her.
The faith of my daughter is the same each of us have the capacity to possess; to simply believe God is here; that He cares; that He provided a way through difficulties, trials or even the sameness of everyday.
The faith of my daughter believes there is more to life; there is abundance; there is truth; there is hope; there is a reason to get up every morning. There is.
The faith of each of us calls us to experience all God has to offer in this life and the life to come. And after all, isn’t that what faith is all about anyway?
Which “G” word is most difficult for your faith to become?
1 Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
2 Wrecked: When a broken world slams into your comfortable life, http://goinswriter.com/wrecked/
3Hebrews 11:1 (NLT and The Message)
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster, and speaker, who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013. Her books include: “Reconnecting Jayne: Her Sister’s Support,” “Rebuilding Jayne: Her Father’s Protection,” “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor,” “Sweet Grace Study Guide,” “Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle,” “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds,” “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”, “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help,” “Sweet Freedom Study Guide,” “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation,” “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God,” and “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight.” She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP intensive coaching. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Contact her at [email protected].
What mixed feelings of joy, difficulty letting go, excitement of future adventures you will both experience. From different places, yet no less bound by your love. Beautiful
Thanks Christa. I was proud of myself. I didn’t cry, not much anyway, maybe a couple of small ones after she left but not where she could see them. I think college is designed for moms as well as kids. It’s an interim letting go. They live away but come home every now and again. So you let go gradually. And then, bam, cut the cords completely, but you’re ready because you practiced for four years!
Many frustrations will arise for her, especially the communication barriers. She will, undoubtedly, spend a lot of time in prayer asking the Lord to help her with this. In time, she will overcome the many obstacles and life will take on new meaning. She is so fortunate.
The language barrier would drive me crazy but it literally enthralls her. She is so different from me. I am sure there will be many frustrations but she’s young so there’s no time like the present. Jeff’s book Wrecked talks about this. It was actually reading his book that helped me gain a new perspective on her going to Japan. If it weren’t for Wrecked, I certainly would be Wrecked right now. I did send Jeff an email and told him that after she goes maybe I’ll write the followup book, How to survive your child being Wrecked!