Breaking the Ice

When we encounter challenging circumstances, that will test our faith in God, we can be confident that He is at work; remember, James 1 says the trying of our faith brings patience.  In Matthew 13, we read about what Jesus taught:
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

We will encounter barriers, roadblocks if you will, in our lives.  Our faith will be challenged, our resolve tested.  But, in those times of difficulty, we can be confident in God to see us through.  He wants us to call on Him, believe in Him more wholeheartedly, and know that He will give us strength to endure.  Whatever faith we have, He wants us to apply that to our troublesome situations, so that we may grow in Him.

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Jesus encountered an obstacle that had confounded His disciples, and this passage from Matthew 17 can remind us of our opportunity to step out and call out in faith when we face obstacles in our own faith journey:
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

You may remember my conversation with Joyce Smith and Jason Noble regarding a book entitled, The Impossible.  You can listen to it our download it here.

Joyce's teenage son, John, fell through the ice on a frozen lake, and he was declared to be dead around 60 minutes. John has made a full recovery. Jason is the family's pastor who walked with them through the ordeal.

This story is told in a forthcoming film called, Breakthrough.  Noted filmmaker Devon Franklin is involved in the film, which is due out in April.  So, is NBA star Stephen Curry, who serves as executive producer.

Joyce will be played by actor Chrissy Metz, who is a cast member of the popular NBC television show, This is Us. Metz told The Christian Post: “When I was given the gift of even reading the script, I was so moved by it, because we're all looking for something greater than ourselves, and we're all trying to figure it out, and do the best we can in the process,” adding, “I've had some hardships myself, obviously, not to this degree but things that were really trying. And the only thing that sort of kept me going was my faith.”

The article relates that Chrissy has not been vocal about her faith, and the story says:

“It is hard I think, now, to just be really vocal about your faith, or what you believe in because people want to think ‘it's not cool,’ but I'm like, I don't care! I have to do what I have to do for me, and I know that the only person that shows up for me time and time again, is God, and is that higher power that's greater than myself. So I have to honor that. Not because I have to, because I want to, even though people might think it's the uncool thing to do. For me, there's no question about it,” Metz testified.

Addressing her resistance to sharing her faith, Metz stated something that perhaps some Christians can relate to:

“I know it can be a challenge because the whole problem is that we all want to fit in, we want to be liked and validated,” she explained. “So when we're different, we feel it, but I think that when people are strong in their convictions, it can really persuade people to think differently just as the movie’s going to do.”

In this case, according to Chrissy, Joyce was strong in her faith, but her husband, John's father, was having some difficulties in light of the circumstances.  Metz says: "You have to have somebody to believe in something, somebody to hold on to that and I think it's so inspiring in the way that just when you think you can't, and everybody else's against you – that God is for you and that's all that you need.”

I like the way that the filmmakers took the aptly-named book, The Impossible, and renamed the movie, Breakthrough.  Obviously, there is double meaning - John Smith breaking through the ice and God breaking through to show Himself faithful.  We can explore the concept of a breakthrough and consider the level of our desire for God to show up and make Himself known to us.  In fact, He is wanting us to develop a deeper walk with Him and is calling us to do so - are we ready and willing to experience what He has ordained for us?

I don't know what spiritual flavor Chrissy Metz may be, but she is willing to be bold about her faith, and that is commendable in Hollywood.  We can consider the extent to which we are willing to share our faith and trust in God's power to enable us.

Finally, we know that God desires for us to call on Him in the midst of our pain and difficulty, and as we take perhaps what little faith we have, faith that may have been rocked by disappointment and desperation, faith the size of a grain of mustand seed, we can be confident that He will meet us as we believe in His love and power.