Faith Beginnings

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,”      Ephesians 4:14-15

I will never forget the day a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a faith Crusade. I hadn’t gone to church since I was a child and didn’t know where to start looking for a church that I thought I would fit into. So many different churches to choose from and I had no idea what any of them believed in. I trusted my friend and that night my entire life changed. 

My immediate family weren’t church goers, but I knew that my aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of the family were. When my brother and I were in grade school we would walk to a little church a few blocks away from our home. It was okay for a little while, but then, one Sunday, something happened in the classroom that scared us and we never went back again. Even though we were afraid of going back to a church, I always felt a connection to Jesus, I just didn’t understand what it was all about.

That day, the day that I went to the Crusade and gave my heart and soul to Jesus, everything began to change. Things in my life started to make sense. What a joyous moment that changed my life into an unbelievable faith walk of trust, joy and peace.  But in those beginning moments of my walk of faith I was not expecting the challenges of becoming a new believer. Thankfully, I grew through that season to a person of confidence and understanding.

Becoming a new believer comes with a whole list of feelings, rules, expectations, self regulations, and so much more that I was very confused about. Eph 4:14 talks about how we are “no longer children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine”. We start out only understanding how to ask Jesus into our heart and then comes the overwhelming amount of scriptures, church denominations, church doctrines, what to wear, what not to wear, earrings or no earrings, dresses or pants, shoes that hide your feet or shoes that let your toes show – and that whole long hair – short hair issue.  **sigh**  In what chapter and verse does the Bible explain it all?!?!?! Is this part of becoming Holy???

I was working on a painting a bit ago and it reminded me of the importance of negative space, and how that can apply to us in all aspects of our lives. As I started thinking about the church and the dynamics of the Pastors, seasoned believers and the new believers I wondered if sometimes we don’t recognize the new believers because of their hesitancy to speak to anyone, sit towards the front, or make themselves recognizable. They fell into the negative space. They are there but not recognized, staying quiet and to the back.  Are they just “someone” there that we expect to grow on their own and make a way out of the confusion into wisdom? Do we see them being “tossed here and there” in complete confusion? Do we realize that they may have left the church without our recognizing it because they didn’t know what to do and felt as if they didn’t belong?? Hard questions. 

Father, I pray that when someone feels their call to come to You that we will make them a priority. Father, help us to bond with them, pray with them, make them a part of what the church is all about – an integral part. Help us help them feel like they belong to this wonderful family of Christ; growing, moving, every present. Father, help us to be the family who helps them feel Your precious love, as well as the love of Your children, firmly rooted and grounded in Your Holy Word. Nurtured. Guided. Taught. Prepared. Ready to receive the gifts that the Holy Spirit is holding for them to request.

** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 4, Part 6

By Linda J Humes 3-7-25

Tags: Ephesians, Faith, God, Hope, Jesus, Joy, Love, Peace, Prayer, Spirit