Doubt is an interesting concept. It's like the purgatory of decision making; it's that middle ground you find yourself in whenever you feel uncertain or you're questioning the truth of something. Ultimately doubt is disbelief in a person or their word. What makes it so interesting though is that with doubt comes a ray of hope.
Even as someone who has been a believer for the majority of my life, I still struggle with doubt. Not doubting the gospel or the basis of my faith that Jesus died for my sins so that I can have abundant life here on earth and eternal life with God in Heaven, but sometimes I doubt God's goodness. I look around at my circumstances and I start to question if God really has my best interest at heart. Then it escalates and I take matters into my own hands and make decisions based on my surroundings and logic rather than on faith and trust in God. This never ends well because my actions are saying, "God, I think I know better than you do. I trust my feelings and logic more than I trust your word." Yikes!
The story of Peter walking on the water out to Jesus is the perfect analogy for doubt. At first when Jesus calls to Peter he trusts him and starts walking toward him, but as soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses on the wind and waves around him he begins to sink. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” This hits a little too close to home for me. So often I get distracted by the waves around me then cry out to God to save me once I realize that my way wasn't working out.
Remember the hope that comes with doubt I mentioned earlier? That hope is God's word, which serves as an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:17-20). That passage tells us that it's impossible for God to lie; therefore, we can cling to any and all of his promises. When we fix our eyes on God, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), our circumstances don't seem to matter as much. I look upward instead of outward, which is so counter-intuitive to how we're wired. Relying on faith rather than feelings seems radical to the world but as we've mentioned in many blog posts before, life as a believer in Christ should look different than the world. Christians are supposed to live "on the fringe".
...for we walk by faith, not by sight.
-2 Corinthians 5:7
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
-Proverbs 14:12
...and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
-Ephesians 3:19
Photography by Justin James
How is it already September?! This summer flew by and now we're on the fringe of fall. It's difficult to know what to wear when you're in between seasons so I decided to take a summery outfit and add a fall twist with jeans, long sleeves, and suede accessories. I love a good white jean and I wanted to take advantage of the last week before Labor Day and wear mine from Michael Kors (on sale!) with a sheer print blouse from DVF. Even though it's long sleeves, the fabric is really lightweight and the sleeves can be rolled up and buttoned. (Styling tip: use a "front tuck" whenever you have a looser fitting blouse for an easy going yet polished look.) This fringe handbag is from Morocco (similar below) and is the perfect accessory for transitioning into fall. Can't forget about my favorite neutral wedges from Stuart Weitzman that are not only super cute but extremely comfortable! I'm also a big fan of J. Crew jewelry because even their studs make a statement.
Shop my look:
Love this!
ReplyDeleteEmma | With A City Dream
Thanks so much, Emma! Just checked out your blog and love your style. Then I realized that you and Hannah both did the Patterns & Pops collaboration- so fun!
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