Faith Expressions

A Faith Expression

As is expressed in the poster, Footprints, we do not realize that the Lord loves us, and is with us helping us through troubled times. Such is the case for Jill in Baggage burdens.

How can the Lord’s blessings be missed? Jill’s parents, the Lord’s warped image bearers, succeed in preparing Jill to continually look for danger, betrayals.

Fear of her drunken father drives Jill to seize fate. Safety can only be achieved by running away, initially, from her mother and father and later from Dave, a want-to-be boyfriend. Like stepping into quicksand, struggling actions trap her into more challenging circumstances, circumstances that she can’t handle herself, circumstances that demand assistance from others. If Jill had already given her heart to the Lord, she might very well have questioned him–– Why is there only one set of footprints during my most troublesome times? Since Jill only possessed a general knowledge of the Lord and not a personal relationship with him, she is spared the notion ––she is not worthy to be loved.

Jill experiences several church settings where God’s imperfect image bearers, acting in love, in their own way, offer a degree of support when she is in need. Church-attending families, friends and strangers, all flawed agents of God, make it difficult for Jill to see God’s love in action. As a result, for most of her life, she feels like she feels alone, struggling to survive.

Characters in the novel represent a wide range of faith-walk believers. At times their love is only a flickering flame. At other times their expression of the Lord’s teaching is like a bright flash of lightening, seen for a moment, then gone. 

One of the main beliefs underwriting Jill’s story is that God will finish the work he has started with his children. For Jill’s mother and grandmother, trusting that the Lord will continue to care for the runaway child sustains them. A second conviction is that those blinded by faith in self-reliance, are unlikely see God’s love in their lives. Blessings are triumphs of self-will. Only when events become overwhelming as they did in Jill’s life, can the Lord’s messengers experience a receptive ear.  Until then Jill’s friends and family undergo disappointment and hurt feelings.

When you read about Jill’s actions, I wonder how long could you continue to stand by her.