She sat on my couch with tear-stained cheeks. Tears slid, resting on her eyelids, threatening to drop. As a counselor, I’m comfortable with tears, but there is always a deep ache of wanting to rescue or fix. But God has humbled me many times when I didn’t wait for him to put his truth on my heart and then speak His words through me. He has reminded me over these decades of counseling that he is the Wonderful Counselor. I’m simply his mouthpiece, and I must be obedient to Him. She leaned against the couch with stooped shoulders and clung to my throw pillow, “I’m hopeless. I don’t think I can trust God anymore. I just don’t have the faith.”
God nudged my heart, “Tell her about when you borrowed faith.” I took a deep breath and uttered these words, “I want you to know there was a dark time in my life when I wanted to give up. I remember it as if it was yesterday. Oddly enough, it was when I was in seminary and wanted to quit. I was sitting with my friend Tim in the cafeteria eating lunch when I told him about giving up and having little faith. He put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and said, “Borrow some of mine. I have enough for both of us until you’re ready.”
You may think that’s silly, but it was what I needed to keep hanging on. Words don’t really capture what I experienced, but I felt a deep release and renewed confidence. Tim was a good friend and a godly man. Not perfect, but godly. From that day forward, even though I was still struggling, I held on to the fact that I would step out on his faith. One day, when I was out of that season of struggle, I didn’t need to borrow his faith anymore. I could let others borrow my faith until they are ready to trust God again.
There is someone in your life who is struggling and needs a little faith, offer for them to step out on yours until they are ready. God created a community of faith and fellowship so we could encourage and literally give courage to another person.