{"id":16075,"date":"2026-03-10T12:36:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/faith-is-a-lifelong-journey\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:00:51","slug":"faith-is-a-lifelong-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/daily-devotions\/devotions-for-faith-prayer\/faith-is-a-lifelong-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith Is a Lifelong Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God\u2019s giving.\u201d Matthew 6:31 (MSG)<\/em><\/p>\n

Last May, I adopted a rescue dog. Rue wasn\u2019t socialized, either to people or other animals. She is, as a result, fearful and bossy\u2014a bad combination. At first, she was afraid of everything: a cookie sheet, a knock at the door, aluminum foil. She shied away, then fell back on her herding-breed attributes to take control of the situation. That she was confused and didn\u2019t know the situation was never out of control in the first place didn\u2019t faze her in the least.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s like that person who feels threatened and, instead of retreating, decides to take over. Her training now is to realize her master has things under control so she has no need to take over. Rue is improving, but it\u2019s a long process. She\u2019s a stubborn girl with an established pattern of coping. She wants her own way. She\u2019s sure she\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

I want something better for her. I want her to relax, knowing I\u2019ll take care of her. I\u2019m glad she wants to please me, but I don\u2019t need her in a hyperalert state, thinking everything depends on her. I want her to realize I\u2019ve got this. Rue needs to learn to trust.<\/p>\n

This has hit pretty close to home as I work with her because she reminds me of myself, always trying to help Jesus make everything work out the way I think it should. Meanwhile in my Bible reading, I hear Him say to stop worrying. His Father knows my needs and will satisfy them. Like Rue, I can\u2019t quite believe that, so I keep trying to make stuff happen. When will I learn?<\/p>\n

As with Rue, it\u2019s a process.<\/p>\n

Faith Step: Do you, like me, sometimes try to be the answer to your own prayers? Today, hand your anxious thoughts to Jesus. He can and will take care of you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God\u2019s giving.\u201d Matthew 6:31 (MSG) Last May, I adopted a rescue dog. Rue wasn\u2019t socialized, either to people or other animals. She is, as a result, fearful and bossy\u2014a bad combination. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[296],"tags":[285,15],"ppma_author":[1949],"class_list":["post-16075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions-for-faith-prayer","tag-devotions","tag-faith"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFaith Is a Lifelong Journey - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Faith Is a Lifelong Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God\u2019s giving.\u201d Matthew 6:31 (MSG) Last May, I adopted a rescue dog. 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