Going forward in faith

"No temptation (or test) has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted/tested, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (Corinthians 10:13)



Lizzie's first church service held by Aunt Lillian

Today marks the first day I've been to a church service (or synagogue) in at least a decade. My sister is here from California and was my "guide." We found Southlake Church and the preceding passage from Corinthians was shared this morning. Wow - what a way to resume my commitment to faith but with a message that reminds me that my latest life tests are not beyond me.

When I told my dad about Lizzie's Down syndrome diagnosis, he had two key pieces of advice: find a support network and find a church. Support network? Check. That was the easy part.

Find a church? Not so fast.



Lovin' the Oregon Coast at Newport



See, I come from a mixed-faith family. It's complicated but the short version goes something like this. My mom and my dad were born into non-denominational Christian families and had me. So I'm Christian, right? Not so fast.  



They divorced, my mom married a Jewish man, converted herself and me, sent me to Hebrew school and camp for 12 years, yet we celebrated every Jewish and Christian holiday ever since. My mom is a converted Jew; my dad and everyone else is some form of Christian. For years, I've simply been both (if that makes sense).



Me and Maddi making cupcakes
for Pinkalicious



Now I'm married with two daughters. Elliott's religious background isn't as "interfaith." He attended a variety of non-denominational Christian churches. And like me, hasn't been to church for years. We didn't even get married in a church.

 

But lately, something is missing. We have achieved a nice balance between our personal and professional commitments, like building a family, excelling in our careers and maintaining our health. But what about our commitment to faith? And what about imparting this on our children? We stalled for two reasons: our other commitments took priority and our "interfaith" upbringings caused an indecisiveness about what's right for our family unit.

Then a series of events occurred in our life demanding us to find and establish our commitment to faith.

First, Madeleine. When she asked "who is God?" one morning at our local coffee shop, we knew it was time to figure something out. Second, Elizabeth. When we learned she had Downs syndrome, we (maybe just I) thought God had given me more than I could handle. According to Corinthians, that's not the case. Somehow, we will endure. The plan is drawn up; we just don't know it yet. And it's not more than I can handle. I have to believe this is the case.

It's going to take me some time to re-establish this commitment to faith but I'm off to a good start and look forward to more lessons at Southlake Church.

I am going to walk forward in faith.