One Step In Faith

I reserved a twenty-six foot Uhaul truck and purchased my first stack of moving boxes. The transactions seemed like I had stepped into someone else’s life. It had been a six-month process to get to this point and yet just then, it finally felt real. We were leaving our home, our extended family, my children’s hometown- to follow a prompting we didn’t understand…

Through the years, I had tried to understand God’s will for me. It usually took a simple direction of baking treats for a neighbor, reaching out with a friendly text or doorstep visit. I tried to teach my kids of the peace that comes from choosing to dedicate your life to being an instrument in God’s hands; in doing His work. I relayed to them the simplicity in loving as Christ did and the joy and peace that come as we unselfishly show true charity.  

However, THIS seemed too far beyond what I ever expected God to ask us to do.  

Six months prior I sat in the Denver, Colorado airport during a layover. I had just spent a delightful weekend with my sisters and parents and was heading back home to my family on a Sunday afternoon. I had my headphones in and was listening to talks from a worldwide conference The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was broadcasting that weekend. Elder Eyring began his address and before long I found myself physically turning to see who was talking to me in the airport. I saw no one but the urgency of the message pressed on. 
 
I returned home in time to exchange the parenting torch with my husband. He was headed out of town on a business trip shortly after I returned. I spent much time that week re-listening to the messages shared at the  conference the previous weekend, searching for a inkling of the returning feeling I had at the airport. I relistened to Elder Eyring’s account of a potential job change following an offer he received years prior. It was simple in my mind. That message didn’t apply to us because Whit hadn’t even applied to a new job- let alone received an offer.

In an effort to rid myself of the responsibility to talk over with Whit a potential prompting- I told him of my experience as we chatted over the phone while he was away on his trip. He felt that we were definitely on the right track in life and that where we were was exactly where God needed us to be. I was completely relieved.  

Weeks later while on another trip to Washington DC for work, Whit called and told me he knew we needed to change employment and zip code. Despite my initial thoughts regarding the possible change, I felt blindsided. Neither of us wanted change. We were happy. Our family was happy. We loved our home and community and especially the proximity to extended family. 
 
The first steps in faith opened doors of seeming miracles on a direct path of incredibly uncomfortable change. I prayed that I could have the fortitude of faith required to take one step with no knowledge of the distant scene ahead. It was physically exhausting in packing up our lives of living in the same town for 20 years and preparing to start anew in a place completely foreign to us. Moreso, it was emotionally exhausting to think of impossible goodbyes in the immediate future.

With the final box taped and the garage contents filling the moving truck, I was numb. I knew our lives were changing; tough days would certainly lie ahead and yet- constant peace served as my companion. I would not have been able to say goodbye to a place I loved and people I held dear had I not known that the purpose was in God’s hands and His perfect knowledge.  

I felt it was the ultimate test. Would I follow Christ as a true disciple in doing ALL God asked of me? Or was my faith conditional upon me understanding the purpose? 

I feared disappointing God more than I feared the unknown so I tried to stay focused on the seemingly washed away footprints in the sand of Christ carrying the load and laying out the course ahead of me of true discipleship. Tears clouded my sight as I tried to find peace in just one step at a time…
That was my goal.
Nothing more…
Nothing less…
Just one step in faith…

And then another…

-JC

Banana Bread Cookies with Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chips

½ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup mashed banana
½ cup lightly toasted coconut
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute or until fluffy. Hand stir in sour cream, egg and vanilla.  Don’t overmix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Add 2+ Tablespoons more flour for high elevation. Fold in mashed banana, toasted coconut and chocolate chips. Scoop 1.5” mounds of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes depending on size. Let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with Coconut Cream Glaze. Immediately sprinkle additional toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips.  Let set. Share!


Coconut Cream Glaze

¼ cup coconut milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Transfer into freezer strength Ziploc until ready to use.

-JC