I got two texts today, one snapped the life out of me and the other reminded me of a refreshing breeze!
The first was from a friend who I would have a mentoring relationship with I’m 24 he’d be 16. The text and following phone-call was full of him telling me of his ongoing doubts about God being real, having a plan for our lives etc. He was looking personal proof for what was a f
aith thing really. Though I pray for him, love him and will work these doubts through with him, I had to tell him that it’s his faith, and I couldn’t have faith for him, but that God believed in him even if he was having trouble believing in God. After the phone call, I sat and prayed earnestly to God for a way that I could prove that God is for him and not against him, which lead me to think well how do I even prove that to myself. My mind was dark for a while. It was as if he was so full of doubts that they spilled over into my heart through our conversation.
I finished 10 O’clock tea (which is by far the best part of any farmers day!) and received another text from a girl in my youth, who’s an increasingly good friend.
Here’s the text:
“hey andy… Quick question, as I was doing my bible study this morning, I was looking for a passage based around the christian family and how it’s meant to work, yeno a passage that would define it… Do ye know of any I could look up?”
I mean she may as well of injected red-bull into my vanes! It was such an encouragement! It wasn’t that this sort of text was out of the blue, it was just… so refreshing after being filled with doubt about weather God is showing Himself to young people at all, to get a text from a young friend who was studying and spending time with God on a school day morning and then was still thinking about it at break-time, it was like breath of fresh air or should I say faith air!
It’s the simple things like that, that remind me that God’s at work, changing people, molding folk, and changing me into the likeness of His son. It gives me hope for my first mentioned friend, who feels very alone in his doubts (I know he’ll make it) and it also reaffirms a thought that you can see God so much more clearly when you live in community, when you share your everyday faith (or doubts) with others! We need more of this sharing!
andy lamberton 