Leap Of Faith
Stories
Object:
Contents
"Leap of Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Modern-Day Loaves" by Craig Kelly
* * * * * * * *
Leap of Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Genesis 32:22-31
Maria sat in the back seat of the empty church. The clock on the wall told her there was an hour before she had to go back to work. She hoped that would be enough time because she had no idea what she was supposed to do.
She loved her job and this community but the position she had been offered on the other coast was a dream come true. It opened up for her the possibility of doing what she had always dreamt of doing and she knew the move would lead to greater things.
She fidgeted in her seat. Except she and Mike were starting to get serious in their relationship and he would never move. What if she was supposed to stay here and build a life with him? There were no friends waiting for her in the new city and her family and her roots were here.
Her mind went back and forth with all of the pros and cons. It would be nice to leave some things behind and start fresh but she was beginning to make a difference here and she knew there was more she could accomplish. Lord, what am I supposed to do?
Maria heard a cough beside her and her eyes snapped open. A short, older woman sat down next to her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," the woman said. "I'm getting over a cold."
"That's okay," Maria said.
"You look like you are troubled by something."
"I have a difficult choice to make."
"This is a good place to help sort your thoughts out," the woman said. "I usually come here to help make sense of things when my life gets in a jumble."
Maria sighed. "I wish I knew what to do. I pray and pray and nothing gets any clearer."
"Really? You are just as confused as when you started?"
"Maybe more so."
The woman laughed. "That sometimes happens."
"Why?" Maria said. "I thought when you pray God gives you the answer."
The woman shook her head. "What are you trying to decide?"
"Whether to move away from friends and family to take a new job, which might or might not work out for me."
"Ah, that is a difficult decision," the woman said closing her eyes for a moment. "You should take the job."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it must be a great opportunity for you to consider leaving your life here for it."
"It is but I'm not sure I'm ready to leave my life here." Maria rubbed her forehead. "You don't know what I have to give up if I move."
"No, I don't, which is why a simple answer like the one I just gave you isn't going to help."
"I guess not," Maria sighed. "I just wish I knew."
"You will at some point. It is the getting there that isn't always easy."
"How can you be sure I will find an answer?"
"Because you are praying. Just because it is a struggle doesn't mean that it won't be worth it after you are finished." The woman smiled. "Actually, I think you will find that whatever you decide will be better because you spent this time not knowing and trying to discern what you should do and what God wants for your life."
"So it will get easier?"
"In one way it will. You will know what you are supposed to do and you will start doing it. But," the woman paused, "it won't get any easier to either leave here or to stay after you decide what you should do."
"Why not? If I know what is best and what God wants why won't it be simple?"
"Knowing is only the first step. Then you will have to say good-bye and head into something new and risky or you will have to say no to the new and risky and commit yourself to staying. Either way you will have to give up something that has merit and either way you won't know the future your choice will bring." The woman touched her arm. "But I know you will be okay."
"Really?"
"Absolutely, because to go into the unknown you need faith and only those who trust in God pray about their future." The woman stood up. "God bless you and may your struggle be brief."
Maria thanked the woman and closed her eyes. She was still unsure what she was supposed to do but she felt the calm and peace of knowing that in faith she would find her answer and the path God wanted her to travel.
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
Modern-Day Loaves
by Craig Kelly
Matthew 14:13-21
Cindy sighed and looked again at her computer screen. She had logged into her bank's website and was looking at her account balance. Not a big number.
What bills do I have this week? Rent? Insurance? Electric bill? Gas? Oh boy.
Cindy blew a lock of brown hair out of her line of sight. She was sitting on her living room couch, her legs tucked underneath her, dressed in her usual home attire: sweats and her green Michigan State T-shirt, clearly a Spartan for life. Beside her was her half-eaten bowl of Haagen-Dazs, her one vice. Well, maybe not her one vice, but probably her favorite one.
After getting laid off from her medical records job, Cindy had found part-time work at a small insurance firm. The pay was definitely not what she was used to but with the economy being what it was, she was just thankful for the job. Something to tide her over until something better came along -- whenever that would be.
As Cindy's television quietly provided both a soft night light and quiet background noise, her cell phone beeped with a new text message… from her sister… the rich one. Cindy sighed as she reached for her phone.
Hey, Connor and I are heading to our cabin in the UP for the weekend in a couple of weeks. Think you could watch the twins for us?
"Heading to our cabin," she slowly said to herself. "Unbelievable." Being a doctor, her sister was never going to have to worry about money. After marrying a neurosurgeon, she probably could have built a house out of pure platinum and still been okay on money. Heading to our cabin. Really? "Rub it in a little, why don't you?" Plus, she was a Michigan Wolverine, too, which only added insult to injury.
Cindy tossed her phone beside her on the couch. Setting her laptop down, she picked up her remote to turn her television off. Her finger arched its way up to the power button when she looked up and saw two huge, pitiful eyes staring back at her.
Well, not at her specifically. They were on the television, attached to a young, obviously malnourished child from somewhere in Africa. It was an infomercial for a Christian international foster child organization. "For twenty dollars a month, you can provide basic nourishment, clothing, and education for a child in need. More than that, your monthly donation will impact the child's entire community, providing funds for drilling wells to bring fresh water for drinking and agriculture."
Cindy started to apply pressure to the power button but something inside stopped her. She looked down at her laptop, her bank account information still showing on the screen. How could I help them? I'm barely able to take care of myself. Then she looked around her. She saw her ice cream slowly melting in her bowl. She looked down at the Spartan logo on her T-shirt. She saw the walls of her small apartment. True, it wasn't much, but she had so much more than so many others. She saw the faces on the screen, children who didn't know when they would be able to eat again.
Would twenty bucks really kill me? It's not much but maybe God can use it for some good.
She reached down and picked up her cell phone. Closing the message from her sister, she started dialing.
* * *
Natalie let out a whoop of exhilaration as she saw the water gush up like a fountain out of the ground. The drillers had finally hit pay dirt. She yelled back at John, her fellow volunteer who was helping out at the food line in this small village in Burkina Faso. "We did it!"
John smiled as he knelt down beside Maria, a small, happy five-year-old. "You see what your sponsor helped us do?" he asked. "Now your whole village has clean water!" Maria clapped her hands joyfully. She ran back to her mother, who was waiting with paper and crayons. Maria got straight to work, grabbing the blue crayon to start drawing the amazing sight. Cindy, her sponsor, would later put that picture up on her fridge, smiling whenever she looked at it.
Craig Kelly writes copy for CSS Publishing Company in Lima, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 31, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Leap of Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Modern-Day Loaves" by Craig Kelly
* * * * * * * *
Leap of Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Genesis 32:22-31
Maria sat in the back seat of the empty church. The clock on the wall told her there was an hour before she had to go back to work. She hoped that would be enough time because she had no idea what she was supposed to do.
She loved her job and this community but the position she had been offered on the other coast was a dream come true. It opened up for her the possibility of doing what she had always dreamt of doing and she knew the move would lead to greater things.
She fidgeted in her seat. Except she and Mike were starting to get serious in their relationship and he would never move. What if she was supposed to stay here and build a life with him? There were no friends waiting for her in the new city and her family and her roots were here.
Her mind went back and forth with all of the pros and cons. It would be nice to leave some things behind and start fresh but she was beginning to make a difference here and she knew there was more she could accomplish. Lord, what am I supposed to do?
Maria heard a cough beside her and her eyes snapped open. A short, older woman sat down next to her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," the woman said. "I'm getting over a cold."
"That's okay," Maria said.
"You look like you are troubled by something."
"I have a difficult choice to make."
"This is a good place to help sort your thoughts out," the woman said. "I usually come here to help make sense of things when my life gets in a jumble."
Maria sighed. "I wish I knew what to do. I pray and pray and nothing gets any clearer."
"Really? You are just as confused as when you started?"
"Maybe more so."
The woman laughed. "That sometimes happens."
"Why?" Maria said. "I thought when you pray God gives you the answer."
The woman shook her head. "What are you trying to decide?"
"Whether to move away from friends and family to take a new job, which might or might not work out for me."
"Ah, that is a difficult decision," the woman said closing her eyes for a moment. "You should take the job."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it must be a great opportunity for you to consider leaving your life here for it."
"It is but I'm not sure I'm ready to leave my life here." Maria rubbed her forehead. "You don't know what I have to give up if I move."
"No, I don't, which is why a simple answer like the one I just gave you isn't going to help."
"I guess not," Maria sighed. "I just wish I knew."
"You will at some point. It is the getting there that isn't always easy."
"How can you be sure I will find an answer?"
"Because you are praying. Just because it is a struggle doesn't mean that it won't be worth it after you are finished." The woman smiled. "Actually, I think you will find that whatever you decide will be better because you spent this time not knowing and trying to discern what you should do and what God wants for your life."
"So it will get easier?"
"In one way it will. You will know what you are supposed to do and you will start doing it. But," the woman paused, "it won't get any easier to either leave here or to stay after you decide what you should do."
"Why not? If I know what is best and what God wants why won't it be simple?"
"Knowing is only the first step. Then you will have to say good-bye and head into something new and risky or you will have to say no to the new and risky and commit yourself to staying. Either way you will have to give up something that has merit and either way you won't know the future your choice will bring." The woman touched her arm. "But I know you will be okay."
"Really?"
"Absolutely, because to go into the unknown you need faith and only those who trust in God pray about their future." The woman stood up. "God bless you and may your struggle be brief."
Maria thanked the woman and closed her eyes. She was still unsure what she was supposed to do but she felt the calm and peace of knowing that in faith she would find her answer and the path God wanted her to travel.
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
Modern-Day Loaves
by Craig Kelly
Matthew 14:13-21
Cindy sighed and looked again at her computer screen. She had logged into her bank's website and was looking at her account balance. Not a big number.
What bills do I have this week? Rent? Insurance? Electric bill? Gas? Oh boy.
Cindy blew a lock of brown hair out of her line of sight. She was sitting on her living room couch, her legs tucked underneath her, dressed in her usual home attire: sweats and her green Michigan State T-shirt, clearly a Spartan for life. Beside her was her half-eaten bowl of Haagen-Dazs, her one vice. Well, maybe not her one vice, but probably her favorite one.
After getting laid off from her medical records job, Cindy had found part-time work at a small insurance firm. The pay was definitely not what she was used to but with the economy being what it was, she was just thankful for the job. Something to tide her over until something better came along -- whenever that would be.
As Cindy's television quietly provided both a soft night light and quiet background noise, her cell phone beeped with a new text message… from her sister… the rich one. Cindy sighed as she reached for her phone.
Hey, Connor and I are heading to our cabin in the UP for the weekend in a couple of weeks. Think you could watch the twins for us?
"Heading to our cabin," she slowly said to herself. "Unbelievable." Being a doctor, her sister was never going to have to worry about money. After marrying a neurosurgeon, she probably could have built a house out of pure platinum and still been okay on money. Heading to our cabin. Really? "Rub it in a little, why don't you?" Plus, she was a Michigan Wolverine, too, which only added insult to injury.
Cindy tossed her phone beside her on the couch. Setting her laptop down, she picked up her remote to turn her television off. Her finger arched its way up to the power button when she looked up and saw two huge, pitiful eyes staring back at her.
Well, not at her specifically. They were on the television, attached to a young, obviously malnourished child from somewhere in Africa. It was an infomercial for a Christian international foster child organization. "For twenty dollars a month, you can provide basic nourishment, clothing, and education for a child in need. More than that, your monthly donation will impact the child's entire community, providing funds for drilling wells to bring fresh water for drinking and agriculture."
Cindy started to apply pressure to the power button but something inside stopped her. She looked down at her laptop, her bank account information still showing on the screen. How could I help them? I'm barely able to take care of myself. Then she looked around her. She saw her ice cream slowly melting in her bowl. She looked down at the Spartan logo on her T-shirt. She saw the walls of her small apartment. True, it wasn't much, but she had so much more than so many others. She saw the faces on the screen, children who didn't know when they would be able to eat again.
Would twenty bucks really kill me? It's not much but maybe God can use it for some good.
She reached down and picked up her cell phone. Closing the message from her sister, she started dialing.
* * *
Natalie let out a whoop of exhilaration as she saw the water gush up like a fountain out of the ground. The drillers had finally hit pay dirt. She yelled back at John, her fellow volunteer who was helping out at the food line in this small village in Burkina Faso. "We did it!"
John smiled as he knelt down beside Maria, a small, happy five-year-old. "You see what your sponsor helped us do?" he asked. "Now your whole village has clean water!" Maria clapped her hands joyfully. She ran back to her mother, who was waiting with paper and crayons. Maria got straight to work, grabbing the blue crayon to start drawing the amazing sight. Cindy, her sponsor, would later put that picture up on her fridge, smiling whenever she looked at it.
Craig Kelly writes copy for CSS Publishing Company in Lima, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 31, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
