THIS PART OF MY LIFE IS CALLED... FRAMING MY FAITH
Micah Smith
Today's Scripture: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1, ESV
Theme: Faith doesn't control outcomes, but it establishes our outlook and prepares us to face whatever comes.
OVER-PREPARED AND OVERWHELMED
My wife recently embarked on what should have been a simple mission: getting her Real ID drivers’ license. Simple, right? Wrong. Apparently, the maiden name/middle name combo on her passport didn't exactly match what was on her previous driver's license, which triggered a bureaucratic nightmare involving both the DMV and the passport office. After two frustrating trips that went absolutely nowhere—complete with that special brand of government-office confusion where nobody knows what anybody else needs—she decided to go nuclear.
On trip number three, she showed up like she was applying for witness protection: birth certificate, passport, driver's license, 17 different bills with our name and address, middle names of every relative, fingerprints, blood types, our marriage certificate, and I think she considered bringing our daughters' vaccination records, just in case. The clerk looked at her mountain of documentation and said, "Oh, you only needed this one thing." But here's what happened: because she was so ridiculously over-prepared, the actual process went smoothly. She walked out victorious, Real ID in hand.
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION VERSUS LIFE'S SURPRISES
Watching her experience got me thinking about how we approach our days spiritually. There's a way to confront life where I'm happening to this day instead of this day happening to me. It's about showing up over-prepared spiritually— “prayed up” and “praised up,” not because I can control what is coming, but because I know who I am, Whose I am, and what I can be susceptible to.
In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner faces each day not knowing where he and his son will sleep, but he never loses sight of his calling or his worth. He couldn't control his circumstances, but he controlled what came through him—his attitude, his determination, his love for his son. That's the difference between living reactively and living with intentional faith.
Just like my wife's DMV preparation, when we frame our days with prayer, Scripture, and remembering God's promises, we're not guaranteeing easy outcomes… but we're establishing our outlook. We're reminding ourselves that regardless of who or what walks through our door today—whether it's a difficult conversation with our boss, a sick kid, or unexpected bills—our foundation is solid.
Make it Personal: How do you "prepare your spiritual environment" each morning? Do you start your day prayerfully happening to it, or grabbing your phone and letting it happen to you? Consider this: you can't always control what comes to you, but you can absolutely control what comes through you. How might your day/week look different if you showed up each day with intention, and over-prepared for what might come?
Pray: Father, help me frame each day with faith before I face it. When uncertainty comes—and it will—remind me that my confidence isn't in my ability to control outcomes, but in Your faithfulness to walk with me through whatever comes. Give me the discipline to prepare spiritually the way I'd prepare for anything else important in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Read: Hebrews 11
Weekly Memory Verse: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9, ESV