It's that simple, and yet it's really difficult at the same time. Like tying knots I guess, when you first get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake, but there are times when you start to loose focus, and it falls apart on you. Or you loose faith in yourself, and pretty soon you're throwing things and declaring that you will never again tie a knot in your life.

Well, faith can be that easy and that hard. It requires of you and me a focus on the One who can make all things happen if we simply trust Him. It's easy at times to open our eyes and SEE Him in our lives, blessing us with the simple things, the obvious things, the things we take way too much for granted. And then there's this BELIEF we need to hold onto when something we've asked Him for and expected has not happened yet. "God? You out there?" you ask as you wait weeks upon weeks for an answer to a regular prayer. Well, if He answered them all right away, then why would we ever have to trust Him? 

We rely on our Father, for the seen and the unseen. Are you resting on the Truth that if we seek Him first, then ALL things will be given to us as well (Matthew 6:33)? Ask Him, trust Him to fulfill your every need, as long as you live in between the two circles of seeing Him move and believing He will move. It's a beautiful thing, this concentric circle idea, that LIFE exists in the middle of the two. Will you see Him today? Will you believe?

It has been quite the journey so far studying the ins and outs of the character of God through looks into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I have been amazed by the interconnectivity of God’s Word, its relevance in our lives today, and its crucial messages that continue to come back again and again to remind us of His faithful love for us His children. One message of specific interest to me has been that of bearing fruit on the vine that is Christ. In both studies we have had great conversations about what it means to “remain in him,” and consequently what it means to “bear much fruit” (John 15). Some answers shared when I asked what fruit is Jesus talking about here have been “people who hear from us who Jesus is” and “being nice to one another.” Another student answered it’s the blossom of the plant, and therefore signs of healthy growth. And it is in that concept that I rested for a while, realizing that God is not some untouchable, unrecognizable “thing” out in who-knows-where, but He is instead “the gardener,” the “vine-dresser” who is constantly working on His creation in order for them to bear fruit and display signs of spiritual healthiness. I have read several times in Galatians 5 about the fruit of the Spirit, but it is not until recently that I have understood that these qualities in a person are great signs that he or she is living in close relationship with God! “Goodness,” “faithfulness,” “gentleness,” “love” and “patience” along with the others are powerful marks in the life of a Christian to show that indeed we are connected to the Vine and following Him into paths of righteousness. I don’t know about you, but I strive for healthiness and I want nothing else than to have my Father look down and see my obedience in looking more and more like His Son, the perfect model and the giver of abundant life.