Faith Without Borders

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

It took me forever to choose the name of my blog site. I knew what I wanted to convey to people, but I just didn’t know how to say it. I mulled over names for weeks, with help from friends and family – who probably became very tired of me testing out possibilities on them! For me, the name needed to capture the heart of my journey. Of course, I wanted to express my love of travel and of foreign cultures – my desire to build bridges with people outside the borders of my own town, state and country. Ever since my first trip outside of the United States to Belfast, Northern Ireland when I was 17, I was hooked on travelling. So, Faith Without Borders does mean my faith physically taking me outside of the borders of my home. It also encompasses a faith that transcends manmade and cultural boundaries as well. It means seeing God in the amazing plurality of the cultures of the world.

I also wanted to capture the feeling of freedom and awe that comes with all-out adventurous faith. Exciting faith in the God who so desires to be in relationship with His children, that he sent His only son to set us free. For a long time, I did not live in that freedom. I was scared and anxious about stepping outside of my boundaries, outside of the borders that had been set for me. Not just physical borders, but societal and personal borders. Expectations of who I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to be doing. I had fear of stepping outside of my comfort zone and the life I was leading to seek something more that God had for me. The problem is that I just wasn’t satisfied in the life I was leading.

For me, Faith Without Borders also means stepping out in confidence in the calling that God has for me – wherever it might take me. It means being assured of the faithfulness of God to protect me and guide me wherever the path might lead. It means being on an ultimate adventure with God. It also means trusting that as I delight myself in God, and as I continue to seek him with a faith sans borders, that he will continue to give me the desires of my heart.

I have to admit that, sometimes, this is easier said (or written) than done. These past few months, I feel like I have been in my sweet spot, the place where my passions and desires meet God’s need in the world. It is the place that God desires me to be at a certain moment in time. I feel like I have found that place, both in my journey in seminary and my time in Peru. But, I still find myself having moments where I feel like I don’t know what I am doing. The past couple of days, for instance, have been difficult. My brain doesn’t seem to be working right and Spanish isn’t coming out very easily. I’m missing home – family and friends. I’m wondering about my future. Is God calling me to the mission field full time after I graduate? Will I be able to do it? I’m turning 35 (35!!) on Sunday. Does God want me to head out on mission as a single woman? To be truthful, I woke up this morning thinking that I just couldn’t do it if I had to do it alone.

Having Faith Without Borders is an adventure and it is exciting. There is nowhere else I would rather be. But it isn’t easy. I have questions and I have doubts. I have days where I am not sure what I am doing, or what God is doing. I know that when I choose to follow God wholeheartedly, I can’t assume that it will always be easy. But I also know that, although it isn’t always easy, God is always faithful. My prayer today is that I will continue to delight myself in Him. I pray that I will continue to step out in an adventurous faith, even when I am not sure what that means. And through that, I'm holding on to God's promise to give me the desires of my heart…because He knows my true desires better than I do.