As I was spending time journaling, one of the things that God brought to my attention was the idea of transferable skills. Transferable skills are skills that you possess that can be transferred from one job to the next and even to different areas of life.
Many of us possess skills in areas of our lives that have the ability to transfer from one area to another.
For example, some of the skills I learned in working out over the years like self-discipline and diligence in my workouts/diets can be transferred into different areas of my life like work and school that can benefit from skills like self-discipline and diligence.
God was showing me that this idea of transferable skills can be applied to our faith. Similar to transferable skills, I believe that having faith in different areas of your life have the ability to transfer over into other areas.
For example, when I was single I had built up my faith in God that He would bring me a wife. I can’t tell you how many years I was saying the same prayer and just waiting and preparing for what God had for me. Today I have been married for 1 year now and God has not fallen short of His promises to me in that area and my faith in God has increased as a result.
One of the areas in my life that I still need faith in is my academics. No matter how many essays I write and how many assignments I have to do, I still find myself doubting whether I’m supposed to be doing what I’m doing and whether God will actually see me through to the end.
God reminded me of the faith I had when I was longing for a wife and He told me to have the same faith in Him with my academics. I felt like He was saying “You’ve seen me work in this area of your life, what makes you think I won’t work in the others.”
My assumption and hope is that many of you have built up your faith in certain areas of life that have the ability to transfer over into others.
Let the faith you have in one area of your life spill over to the others.
So how does this whole process work?
Well, similar to transferable skills it requires you to find similarities to situations and tasks that you’ve been in with ones that you are currently faced with. It’s about intentionally focusing on the similarities versus the differences.
In my opinion, focusing on similarities yields better results than focusing on the differences. I find that finding similarities with situations and tasks gives me a sense of confidence in the familiarity between the two that does not come with differences. For me, focusing on differences expands the gap between situations and tasks I’ve experienced and what I’m dealing with, leaving me feeling more anxious and fearful because of its novelty..
Simply put: Similarities close gaps, differences expand them.
In the same way, transferable faith would require you to find similarities to situations and tasks that you’ve been in with ones that you are currently faced with. Yes, trying to find a wife and trying to do well academically are fundamentally different, but to me, they both required me to trust in God and receive the grace that comes with being in a relationship with Him. They both required me to lessen my doubt in God and place my faith in knowing that He has brought me this far.
All of a sudden what He did in one area of my life seemed like a possibility in another area. Seeing and knowing that He has empowered me to overcome fears throughout the process has left me hopeful that He can do it again.
My prayer for you today is that you would remember what God has done in your life. Remember how He has brought you from one place to another and that He can do it again.
Father, I pray that you help us to grow our faith in you. Help us to see that you are working all things out for the good of those who love you. Let us spill our faith from one area of our lives to all the others so that we may fully trust you. Take us through the process of understanding and help us to see that you have us in the palm of your hands. We love you and need you, God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!