Firsts in Faith

I have seen a lot of firsts. I remember the first time the keys to the car were tossed to me and I went to see my friends. I remember the first time I played a trumpet solo in middle school band. There was my first time to the beach, first visit to Tweetsie Railroad, first cup of coffee, and the first time I went swimming without “floaties.”

There was the first time I realized not everyone grew up the same way I did and the first time it hit me that my parents were not the most ignorant people on the planet. I can remember realizing for the first time that hatred was alive and well amongst humanity and the first time coming to see there are people in the world who do not see God the same way I do - and some who do not see God at all.

At the same time, I remember the first time I realized the depth and reality of the gospel of Jesus and the first time I stepped into the pulpit to deliver a sermon. June 25, 2006 was the first morning I woke up as Ronna’s husband and June 25, 2012 was the first Monday I woke up as pastor of Sandy Run. There was the first breath from each of our children and the first steps of two – soon to be three – of them.

These days in the Rawls household are featuring a whole new set of firsts. As you may be aware, Annlyn’s first day of kindergarten was just this week. She walked out the door with her backpack, her lunchbox, her water bottle, and a smile from ear to ear. Ronna said she walked into the classroom and she had a great day. It was a first for her and first for us as her parents. I will be honest with you: it was a tough day for this father knowing I was being called to entrust her life into the hands of God.

Firsts are all around us and they never seem to end. There are firsts all around us all the time. What makes a “first” something special is the fact that it is new ground for us. There is new territory on which our lives are being lived. Firsts lead us into what we have previously not known. A first – regardless of what it is – takes us from the realm of familiarity into the world of the unknown and uncertain. Any “first” can cause us to question as well as swell us with joy.

One of the tests that has come my way in seeing Annlyn trot off on her first day of school – and our first day as parents of a school-aged child – is a test of faith. I feel Ronna and I are being called to trust God in the process of moving into the unknown and the unfamiliar. What is comforting, what strengthens our faith, is the reality of God’s presence. Though the territory may be new and unfamiliar to us, it is not to God. Though it is a first for us, it is not a first for God. We can follow where God leads because God never changes. There is no “first” that surprises God and there is no “first” that overwhelms God.

Our firsts often overwhelm us. They can even cripple us. The pain of realizing for the first time that there really is hate and evil in this world. The emotional breakdown of seeing your firstborn go off to her first day of school. The trembling bewilderment of sharing the good news of Jesus with someone for the first time. In all of those situations, the situation is new and different to us, bringing about a sense of change. But to God, well, God already knows those things and they do not change who God is or what God has called us to.

What changes with these “firsts” is us. Will we become cold and desensitized to the hate around us? Will we choose to keep our children home for the rest of their lives? Will we stop sharing the good news of the gospel with people?

Some of this had to be what was swirling around for the disciples of Jesus the first time they heard His call to follow Him. He walked along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and called out to these fishermen, beckoning them to leave what was familiar and journey with Him into something new. A whole new and recreated world awaited them if they would take a step into the unknown with Him (Matthew 4:18-22).

You and I are faced with all kinds of firsts in our lives. The challenge of faith is to keep stepping forward knowing God is with us and God has already been where we are going. We hold to the truth that there is nothing that is a surprise to God and nothing is a first to God.

Several years ago singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman recorded a song titled, “Take Another Step.” The song provides encouragement to the listener to take the hand of God and journey into the unknown, even if what is ahead is dark. At one point Chapman sings:

            If there’s an ocean in front of you, you know what you’ve got to do.

Take another step and another step.

Maybe He’ll turn the water into land and maybe He’ll take your hand and say,

“Let’s take a walk on the waves. Will you trust me either way?”

Take another step and another step.

Looking back on life, I can see that every time there has been a first in my life – whether it was joyous or painful – God has met me in the unknown. Every time there has been a new and challenging and unsettling experience, God has shown God’s self to be faithful, present, and loving. God will guide us through if we will simply take another step and another step and another step.

The good news in all of this is God does not call us to take more than one step of faith at a time. But when we do take a step of faith, God is there to lead, guide, and shelter us as we go. I am thankful that together you and I are taking steps of faith hand-in-hand with God.

Joyfully….

-ASR