Foreground Faith
Today, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my favorite design software, Canva. I've been a Canva fan for years now, using it for everything in my writing ministry—from creating images for my blog and social media posts to designing videos and even book covers. Since becoming a missionary, it's become even more invaluable, helping me make everything from business cards to banners.
One of my favorite features is called "Position." This handy tool lets me shuffle elements between the foreground and background of my projects. It's like having a magical switch that lets me focus on one part of my design at a time.
Need to spotlight a particular element? No problem! Just a few clicks, and I can push less important bits to the background, like tucking away clutter behind a curtain. And when I'm ready to bring them back? Presto! They're right where I left them, waiting for their turn to shine.
Finding a New Way
The past few weeks for me have been some of prayer, reflection, and wrestling with many things. In the midst of my physical difficulties, I realized my condition reached far beyond my body. My mind was tired and distracted. My emotions were frayed. My heart was hard. And my spirit was weary. In short, I had hit a wall.
After the months of waiting last year to see our visa issues resolved, we hit the ground running in January and haven’t stopped running long enough to catch our breaths. The result of the continuous rush and push left me feeling like the very worst version of myself, and I knew something had to change.
Brick By Brick
Who doesn't love a good construction analogy? We've all seen captivating time-lapse videos of buildings rising from the ground up, each brick or beam carefully placed, and every detail considered. That's how God works in our lives—with precision, purpose, and a master plan.
Construction projects sure do take you on a journey, don't they? One day, you're standing in an empty field or a run-down house, dreaming of what could be. The next, you're driving the first stake into the ground or swinging that sledgehammer through the first wall.
It's exhilarating. It's daunting. It makes you feel alive.
When God first lays a calling on your heart, it's a lot like that empty lot or dilapidated house. You survey the land and think, "How can anything beautiful come from this?"
Broken Yet Beloved
As many of you know, I struggle with joint hyper-mobility, fibromyalgia, and chronic back issues. Some days, the pain and fatigue are almost unbearable, leaving me feeling isolated, frustrated, and even depressed. Recently, I've been experiencing a particularly bad flareup, and I've found myself lying in bed for hours on end, watching the world around me hurry by while I wrestled with feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
I'm sure many of you can relate, whether you're battling a chronic illness, dealing with a difficult situation, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges. During these times, we feel like nothing more than a "bruised reed" or a "smoldering wick," ready to break or be snuffed out at any moment.
The Sea of Forgetfulness
I've been pondering a beautiful truth from God's Word that has filled my heart with immense gratitude and joy. It's found in Micah 7:19 (KJV), which says, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
Isn't that an incredible promise? When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God takes our sins—every single one of them—and hurls them into the depths of the sea. This is often referred to as the sea of forgetfulness, a place where our sins are forever out of reach, unable to affect our salvation or standing before God.