Walking by faith, not by sight

Have you ever heard the phrase, “you should walk by faith, not by sight?” Well y’all, me too, and to be quite honest it’s ambiguity scares me. Phrases like this are intimidating because they have such a vast array of meanings that you aren’t sure what to apply to your life, or even what to believe.

Throughout this year, I’ve noticed that a lot of my friends have been struggling with their mental health. They are worried about things that are ultimately out of their control, which, I’ll admit, I have also been doing. The truth is when I start to get into my head I over-analyze. Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure that you’ve heard of the book Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen. I highly recommend this to anyone prone to over-thinking.

The thing is, as with most things in life, it’s easier said than done! I’ll give you an example of a situation in my life where this phrase “walk by faith, not by sight” applies.

Recently, I had a birthday. It was wonderful and I got to spend it in the mountains of North Carolina with my family, which is great! However, I had this picture- the picture- in my mind of what I wanted my birthday morning to look like. I wanted to wake up at 4AM, do a sunrise hike to the pinnacle of the mountain, and bask in the warm light that washed over me. (Pinterest inspo included below).

YEAHHHHH, totally NOT what I got! When my parents and I woke up, it was very dark outside, so I couldn’t really tell how the weather was going to be when I got to the top. The mountain was an hour and a half away, so we made sure we left with plenty of time to see the sunrise at 6 AM. As we ascended the mountain, I quickly realized that it was super, SUPER foggy, to the point that I didn’t even know if we were going to make it to the trailhead in a car. Somehow, miraculously, my dad managed to get us there (godbless this man). So, we trekked on, through the dark wilderness and the thick fog, and the cold rain that started as soon as our feet touched the ground.

I was still trying to keep a positive outlook at the beginning of the journey, mainly because it was my birthday and I didn’t want to believe that I put all of this effort into something just to get 0 return (I mean, we’re talking about miracles and Jesus, not the stock market)!

However, when we got to the top, the conditions worsened, and the wind was so bad that I couldn’t even keep my eyes open most of the time. Imagine us: our hats, scarves, leggings, jackets, backpacks, etc. that were all drenched by the icy rain in the middle of the North Carolina summer. It was an experience to say the least.

I remained positive, and forged ahead with a sense of direction and purpose- if I asked in Jesus’ name and believed I’d receive a miracle, then I would, right?!!!!

HARD NO! The lord doesn’t always give us what we want. I want you to understand that the bible verse in NIV says, “For we live by faith, not by sight” 2 Cor. 5:7. But… the NLT states this, “For we live by believing and not by seeing” 2 Cor. 5:7. WOW- how much clearer that just became!

You see, I wanted a sunrise and the perfect picture on my birthday, but God wanted me to learn that sometimes the unseen is more impactful than the seen. You don’t have to see Him to know he’s there. It is a feeling, an urge, and a belief. James 1:2-4 says this,

“Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”.

SOOOO the trials that we face actually bring us closer to God?! Yes. That is exactly what they do. Having faith in the unseen is what believers are called to do. We don’t get to physically see God, but we do get to experience his presence in and through our lives- how great is that??!

Although I didn’t get the sunrise hike that I wanted, I still got to experience it with my parents, and I wasn’t stuck inside! Now we have a great memory to share, and I learned a valuable lesson. Even though I couldn’t see the sunrise, I still knew it was there. I didn’t have to see to know. How great is that?!

P.S. on the way down the mountain, in the car, we saw this gorgeous view :)

In the wise words of Hannah Montana, life’s a climb, but the view is great!

Authentically,

Ali xoxo