Faithfulness from Life Letters

Have you ever felt that taut sickness inside, as if the bowstring of your heart is being pulled back, back, back? It is the testing of your faith, my sister. Fear. Worry. Doubt. Those things can consume you when the earth beneath you is shaking, when the world around you seems out of control, and you feel that there is no hope. But the God of the Israelites, the Lord of Heaven and earth, your Savior and mine, has promised to rescue us. Call out to Him, let Him cover you. Let Him release you. Stand firm in your faith on the Rock, your fortress and your deliverer, even amidst the chaos of the world.
Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 1035-1039). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 


I've already admitted that I'm an impatient person.  


Here's why I struggle with fear, worry, and doubt.  

Psalm 27:13-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹³ Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness 
      while I am here in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait patiently for the LORD.
      Be brave and courageous.
      Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Pretty sure that verse has my name written all over it. There's a reason Patience is listed before Faithfulness in the fruits of the Spirit.  

How can you trust someone you deem unworthy to wait for?

You can't. It's impossible to be faithful if you refuse to wait. 

This garden may take longer than I thought.

Goodness from Life Letters

Can I go KJV for a minute? Good begets good. See that didn't hurt, right? 

But, it's true.  

Maybe not right away, maybe not soon, maybe not even where we ourselves will ever see it. But, it's still true. 

Galatians 6:9

The Message (MSG)

 ^9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Do good. 


Not because they need it or deserve it.  Not for fame or glory.  


Just do good because His good is so much more than we deserve.

Kindness from Life Letters

To me, showing kindness always meant being "nice."  In my brain, nice = June Cleaver.

I'm not very good at being a "nice" girl; I'm not what most people would consider a "bad" girl, but probably would not be described as "nice" by those who know me best.  

And when I was "nice" it was because I had to be, because it was the "right thing", not from a desire to please God and definitely not for the other person's sake.  

My lack of kindness reaches beyond just rubbing someone the wrong way or handling a situation wrong.  

I HAVE to cultivate kindness for the other person's sake.  Their eternity is counting on it.

It is my prayer that I will someday be able to fill her shoes, that I will have eyes to see Jesus in the ones that He puts before me and that I will have the love in my heart to reach out to those around me with kindness.

Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 718-720). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 

Micah 6:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁸ No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,
      and this is what he requires of you:
   to do what is right, to love mercy,
      and to walk humbly with your God.