If you’d like to join in the book club for Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson, feel free to join in at anytime. You can find the reading schedule for the 12 week book club at the end of this post, along with additional printables for each week.
“If we trust God to lead us in His own beautiful path, if we remove our white-knuckled fingers from the wheel, He will take us just where we need to go and make us all that we need to be. To truly belong to Him, we must lay down every expectation except the sure knowledge that He will uphold us. And when you are cradled in the palms of love itself, you don’t have to be afraid.”
In this chapter we saw how Mary and Joseph need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. When the angel appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family to Egypt in order to remain protected. Things were quickly packed and they journeyed, remaining there until they knew it was safe to return.
Mary and Joseph both had circumstances surrounding them that were beyond their control. Perhaps they thought that as they parented the Messiah, that life would be a bit easier. Maybe they realized it wouldn’t. Either way, they had to lay down their expectations and rest in the hands of God, trusting that He would help them.
Thinking about this over the past week has made me desire {more than ever} to release control of my circumstances. To have my FIRST response to any issue that rises in my life to be one of trust ~ not fear. Releasing my expectations of how I envision life should be and embracing the fact that God has me {and my family} in the palm of His hand.
At times that means that I have to lay down dreams that I have that don’t line up with what God has for me. It may mean putting them aside for a time – or even for good.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…
Philippians 3:8-9
Are there things that you have had to put aside in life? Has it been worth it in your relationship with Christ? We would love to hear your thoughts!
A Few Book Club Links
Be sure to download a copy of the journal pages to go along with the book. For those of you reading on a Kindle or reading with your daughters, these will come in handy! Each week, I’ll be sharing the printables for the next week, so check back weekly for updates. ~ Journeys of Faithfulness book club Facebook page – come share your thoughts during the week! ~ Download a few printables here:
- Binder Cover
- Book club reading schedule,
- Journal pages: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, and Week 12.
Link Up Your Posts!
If you are a participating in the book club and are blogging your thoughts, please link up your posts below! We’d love to stop by and see what God is revealing to you through each chapter.
This weeks reading made me really stop and think. Have I been as faithful as Mary was? Would I just get up and leave everything because He said? My prayer is that I can be that person, who follows Him no matter the cost.
I love this book!