Faith

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I am soooooo not a gardener.  I don’t have a green thumb in my body.  I look at plastic flowers and they die. Seriously. So growing things is a definite challenge for me.  It’s kind of funny when you think about it because I grew up in Iowa, where everyone has a garden in their backyard or 50 acres in their back lot. I’m a farmgirl at heart and by birth.  I’m just not a gardener.

My mother, on the other hand, is the Martha Stewart of all things growing from the ground.  She can grow ANYTHING, anywhere, anytime. She just instinctively knows what to do to make things grow.  When she talks to me about gardening and all the things she is growing, I feel like she is speaking French!  I just don’t understand. I can’t wrap my head around the things she does or the things she says, but if you ask me if my mom can grow things – my answer is emphatically – YES!  She’s a gardener!!

And isn’t that just like faith? We don’t understand it (if we did, it wouldn’t be faith) we can’t feel it, touch it, see it, taste it, smell it…but we know we have it. We know we believe it. We know, even when we don’t know. That’s really the definition of faith…to believe anyway, to know anyway, to trust anyway.

Ephesians 6 tells us we need to “take up our shield of faith”.  I find that a bit ironic. We are to take up – to pick up – something we can’t physically touch or see.  We are to grow something we can’t put our hands on. It’s easy to say no to that challenge – to take up your faith.  I can’t see it so I’m not going there or I can’t feel it so I’m not playing that game or I don’t know what I think so I’m not going to buy in.  But faith begs us to step out when we can’t see, to dive in when we are unsure, to move forward when we feel shaky.  Faith invites us to trust in someone other than ourselves, to put our hope in something that we can’t accomplish on our own. Faith challenges us to lay ourselves aside, and pick up the only thing that we really can rely on – it’s not a thing, it’s a person. Faith begs us to enter into relationship with the master gardener.

NT Wright says “Take the shield of faith, if you’ve got that, you’ll be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

What I love about faith is when we have it, when we exercise it, it transfers someone else’s ability to our inability – if we will take it up.  Christ offers us His ability, but it takes faith to enter into that relationship with Him. What I also love about faith is it starts small and it grows! We have that promise. The faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain.

So, today I encourage you – gardener or not, to step into your faith. Take it up. Allow it to grow. It’s your shield. Take it up and then see how Jesus equips you from his storehouse of ability. Be encouraged, take up your shield, and take a step. Growth is just around the corner.


Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. Robin has always had a strong tie to her church, community and work. That tie is in the form of relationships. Her greatest joy is to do life together, encouraging, strengthening and challenging each other to be their very best and reach their full potential. Robin has been the Program Director for Refuge for Women since February 2017. She has overseen all the operations of our safe house and spent her days inside the home building relationships with the residents and helping them not only see their potential, but overcome the obstacles standing in the way of them reaching their potential. For15 years, prior to coming to Refuge for Women, Robin worked in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers. Prior to that, Robin was a Salvation Army officer and served in full time ministry in various locations throughout the Midwest. Robin’s focus was always serving, equipping and developing others. In 2006, the Lord began to work in Robin’s heart and plant a love for women who are trapped in the sex-industry. This passion was formed through Robin’s involvement with student mission trips to Las Vegas. In 2010, Robin began the Hearts for Jackson ministry in Jackson, Michigan reaching out to women who work in strip clubs. Robin’s heart was broken for these women and she started this ministry to bring them hope and love with a goal of showing the love of Jesus in a practical way. Each month, Robin led a group of women from her church into the strip clubs where they simply loved on the women. They brought them gifts, told them they were special & loved and offered a listening ear. Robin brings her heart and passion to Refuge for Women and is excited to be stepping into this new role of City Director where she will be partnering with the local churches, Las Vegas community, and most importantly, Jesus, in this crucial ministry. Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 33 years and currently reside in Henderson, NV. They attend the ChurchLV and they enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children and three grandchildren. Robin holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, also from Spring Arbor University.

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A Sure and Steady Hope

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Taking Up the Shield of Faith