By Briana Bass, Christian Romance Author, Devotional Writer & Certified Professional Coach

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

I took a leap of faith when I became a full-time author. This job doesn’t come with guarantees. Ask any author and they will tell you that sales ebb and flow by season (holidays are great, summer not so much). Going viral happens on a whim. Not every author will write a bestseller or make six or seven figures annually or watch their story come to life on the big screen. The primary goal of any author is to generate enough income to sustain them, which usually requires diversification beyond book royalites.

Knowing that I couldn’t predict how this career change would work out, I still took the leap. I trusted God to point me in the right direction and course correct me when I stray from the path. Now, I still have a responsibility to put in the effort and ultimately make decisions regarding my business, but I also have faith that since this job is what God wanted me to do, it will work out. Maybe not the way I anticipated, but in a way that aligns with God’s will.

You’ve probably faced situations that also required a leap of faith. Choosing a college to attend or a trade to pursue is a leap of faith. Moving to a new city is a leap of faith. Going on a first date is a leap of faith. You have to trust that the Lord will catch you if you fall. You also have to trust that it will work out. I think sometimes that’s scarier than failing. What if that first date is with your future spouse? What if that entry-level job leads to a promotion? What if that new city is where you meet your best friends? Faith is more than believing in God. It’s about trusting that God will steer you in the right direction for your good and for His plans.

When One Door Opens

Life doesn’t always go the way we predict. That can be good if our predictions are all doom and gloom. But sometimes life goes sideways. We don’t plan for it to happen, though we can make certain preparations like a rainy-day fund or keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. It’s still not something we want to happen. When those situations occur, we start to wonder why it’s happening to us or people we love. We question God’s goodness and faithfulness. Yes, we should admit that these questions and doubts cross our minds. These thoughts aren’t sinful! What’s important is that we ultimately dismiss those thoughts and remember that God’s faithfulness is eternal.

I know that can be hard. It’s challenging to keep the faith when everything feels like it’s falling apart. That’s kind of the point of faith, though. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). Faith, not sight. Not what we can see or touch or hear or taste or feel. Faith is so much deeper than our senses. When everything goes wrong, we can trust that God will see us through it. That’s faith.

Now, your trust in God might wobble in a moment of pain or despair. That’s okay. And the path God sets before you may not be the path you would have chosen yourself. It’s all right if you get angry about it. It sounds naïve, but we have to trust that God knows better than we do. I’ve found that when doors slam shut it’s because God was protecting me from something I couldn’t see. And sometimes God opens doors I didn’t even know were there. Do these doors always open to sunshine and rainbows? Nope. At least, not always in that immediate moment. It’s on me to trust and have faith that those doors will lead me where God wants me to go, and to recognize that God’s ways are not necessarily my ways.

Good and Faithful Servants

“Trust and Obey” is one of my favorite hymns. At its heart, it’s about faith. Do I have enough faith in the Lord to trust Him with my life and obey His commands, even when-especially when-life isn’t going well? I’ve learned that those are the moments when it’s more important than ever to trust and obey. It’s not a guarantee that everything will instantly turn right-side up. Faith in the Lord doesn’t mean an easy life. But Jesus does promise us an eternal reward greater than we can imagine: “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Matthew 25:21).

“Well done, good and faithful servant” has become something of a goal for Christians. At the end of our lives, when we see Jesus face to face, those are the words we hope to hear Him say. Jesus doesn’t ask us to be perfect. That’s His job. He does ask that we believe in Him, that we believe in His teachings and apply them to our lives. That’s what faithful servants do. The path ahead may be bumpy, yet we push along, moving forward because we trust in what Jesus preached. A faithful servant recognizes that it’s not about them. They know they are not the center of the universe, but one of billions of valued lives that are intertwined. Faithful servants put themselves aside for the good of the many, just as Jesus did. It can be uncomfortable at times. It can be dangerous at times. That’s where faith comes in.

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit because it’s the manifestation of dying to self. A person cannot be faithful to Christ if they do not pick up their own cross. It requires a huge leap of faith but it’s so worth it. Nothing on earth will ever compare to pleasing our Lord.

Take the Leap

Life is full of ups and downs. Some pitfalls are deadly and honestly, that sucks. We’re human. We’re allowed to feel human emotions when life freefalls into a downward spiral. Those are the moments when it’s most important to cling to God. God will ask us to demonstrate our faith by trusting and obeying even when it’s hard.

Step out in faith, friend. Trust that God will catch you when you fall and steer you in the right direction towards success. Let your faith be an example to others, producing good fruit in this lifetime so you will one day hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

All scripture is quoted from World English Bible, public domain.