Faith is complicated. People build themselves the perception that it’s easy and simple but it’s not. I spent years thinking that I needed to do x, y, z to make my faith flourish, when the truth is…it’s my relationship. God designed me with a 100% unique fingerprint, so my relationship with him should be 100% unique.
That is where I began thinking about what my relationship in God should look like. There are so many questions: What if I don’t get anything from reading the Bible? Why is prayer so frustrating at times? How do I “be” with God? I found myself searching for answers, and am blessed to have a strong family who helped me understand some of this.
I knew that I had to place my roots before I could grow. After all, if I can’t hear God, how do I see the opportunities? This book is about building your relationship with God so that once you have the foundation, you can than find your purpose. But you can’t build the house without the foundation first! If you want to know the common frustrations of faith, how to work through the hard times, and the good and bad practices that are commonly seen…this is the book. When dealing with an almighty God who is invisible and can often feel distant, we forget the human aspect.
The frustration, the anger, the disappointment, is very real and yet not talked about too often. This book is designed to help build your foundation with God on realistic terms. Simple and down to earth its ten steps to consider and help your perspective of what your relationship with God looks like. When you hit those moments of anger, hurt, or frustration what to do, what is happening and how to work through it. In addition, if you like a particular area there are multiple sources referenced to help you dig deeper and break through any barriers you may have. It is such a simple concept, and God modeled our relationship with Him through Jesus in an easy way for us to grasp. Over the years, it has become convoluted with checklists and expectations that we built for ourselves. We have had it drilled in to us from a young age to be told what we have to do, that when we actually get to decide for ourselves, we’re stuck. We’re stuck on how to be alone and comfortable in silence.
We’re stuck on how to listen and not just have a to-do list. We’re stuck that we can’t have a plan and have to “trust” someone else to have control. Our culture strips what God designed into a weekly checklist that yields religion, not faith. I hope that this books helps you build your own relationship with God. That it will bring back the trust and faith he designed in us and change how you worship, pray, and view Him. With a new foundation your relationship will be transformed into a living one that will bring the peace and joy God designed it to.
About Author Cherie Shields
What is life without trials and questions? How great does it feel when you discover that little sense of peace, hope or laughter? That’s what the my life has brought me so far. God has allowed me to live through many good and bad circumstances that has shed a light on my perspective and made it unique. My dream is to share what God has shown me in life so far; the new and refreshing perspectives to grow people’s dedication to Christ.
Inspiration can be found on both sides of a coin. Trouble fitting in, loneliness, and heartbreak can reveal the brightest silver linings around a dark cloud. On the other side, love, forgiveness and family can be the closest runner up to divinity and motivation the world has ever known.
Born and raised in Orange Country California, the fast-paced culture around you pulls you in many different directions. Teaching me quickly from a young age to either decide what I wanted to stand for or have it dictated by everyone else. I have been blessed to see the foundation of Christ strong in my family all the way back to my great grandma. Watching these role models teach me about being filled with the Spirit, fighting in the spiritual realm, and leaning on God’s wisdom have pushed me to not just believe, but to understand why I believe.
I met my husband in Econ 101 class at Cal State Fullerton and from that moment on we have been on each other’s minds 24/7. Yes, I was the one who made the first move and very glad I did! I was able to support my husband discover his relationship with God which grew his faith much more than it already was, and now there are days where his faith inspires me.
We have now been married for five years and I am a mother to a beautiful baby girl, I lean on my husband and daughter every day to help me grow. I chose the path to be a working mother and wife with the mindset to partner with my husband to propel our family and faith forward. I was tired of all the books that make a relationship with God sound easy. It is work! To pray when I’m on three hours of sleep, to have patience when I’m starving, and grace when I am angry or hurt. God gives that to me, but not over night, and certainly not with an epiphany of aww. Each day I arise with the challenge to be the best follower of Christ, wife, and mother I can be. I hope to help others understand that the foundation which we build upon will determine the life we create.