It is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)

Ponder It.
When have you been nervous about helping someone with something important?
How important is trust in your relationships?
What responsibility comes along with faith?

Receive It.
While serving on a mission trip, a group of women and I painted school hallways with murals. The last day we served, we found out the man who worked with us was a bonafide artist. He trusted us to paint his creations. He drew the murals, then gave us paint to complete a specific section. When we finished one job, he grabbed a cup from his cart, poured in some base paint, then added a little of this color and a little of that to create just the shade he wanted. He’d point and say, “Here. Here. And here.” in his thick Russian accent to instruct us exactly where to paint, then walk away to help someone else. Every now and then, we’d catch him looking over our shoulders. We’d ask, “Okay?” He’d nod and smile and say, “Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay.” I wondered if he really meant it at times. He seemed to chuckle a little as he reassured us. But his affirmation encouraged us to continue to do our best. We were creating murals for the children and school staff, but we wanted to please the artist, too. It was his vision, and we wanted to bring it to life.

Being trusted by an expert is flattering, but it also comes with responsibility. It’s the same with our relationship with God. We may be flabbergasted by His love, mercy, and generosity and find the responsibility of faith daunting and honoring. We get to participate in God’s plan. He creates the guidelines. He mixes the colors and gives us instructions, then He lets us respond. He’s never too far away. Sometimes we feel His closeness; sometimes we don’t, but we can know He is always invested in our lives. He created us. He corrects and encourages us. We may fill in just a little space of color, but there are people all around us who are adding their color, too. We may not be able to conceptualize the big picture, but God can.

Live It.
Sit in a chair. Imagine how close you feel to God right now. Where would He sit in the room if He sat as close to or far away from you that you feel He is? Then, consider where you actually believe He is, not just where you feel He is. Think about the impact your feelings have on your faith and on your willingness and ease to talk God and share your life with Him.