2 Corinthians 5:7 – Grits with Grace

communication, fear, priorities, Scripture

Got Your Radar On?

Posted on May 6, 2026May 5, 2026 by Dewayne Taylor

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

The Majestic Princess is one big girl. Let tell you a little about her. She was born on March 31, 2017 (the date of her first sailing) and born again (the official term is a dry dock renovation) last year in 2025. She can accommodate 3,560 guests. Imagine throwing a party and inviting over three thousand of your closest friends. She also has a crew of 1,346 to care for those guests. She is 1,083 feet long, 126 feet across and 224 feet tall. Her height is divided into 19 decks. I guess you could say she was a little on the hefty side too weighing in at 143,700 tons. Like I said she is quite the lady.

The Majestic Princess is massive to say the least. She’s not the biggest ship on the seas by any stretch but she is big enough to demand respect. I can’t imagine the responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the captain and his immediate bridge staff. While she can cruise a little faster, she is happiest averaging about 25 mph. And when you are as big as she is one thing is certain…you don’t really do anything fast…especially turning and stopping.

In our room we had a television that had an app called the “bridge cam.” It shows what the bridge crews sees–night and day. On a good clear day the view is impressive but on cloudy, rainy, foggy days and at night–well it is almost scary what you can’t see. Several times I tuned in and was overwhelmed by the sense of darkness. I imagined this massive piece of metal moving through the seas in total darkness. Frightening.

How could the crew do this with safety and confidence? Well, the most important part of the answer is an impressive array of radars. The bottom line is the radars can see what the human eye cannot. It can spot another ship or some obstacle long before a collision becomes a fact. It pierces the darkness. Without these radars, guiding the Majestic Princess would be almost impossible–and certainly a whole lot more dangerous.

Did you know that we Jesus followers, have our own radar? Well we do and the word that the Bible uses for it is…faith. You see since God operates in the ream of faith…we have to also. Faith allows us to see what human eyes cannot. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” It also tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith.” It even tells us that faith in Jesus is the way, the only way to have a relationship with Him. It says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

So as you navigate the beautiful and yet sometimes treacherous waters of life, I hope you will be sure your life is equipped with God’s radar–faith. It is the best way, the only way to truly navigate life. If you need more information, grab your closest Bible and there you will find all the answers to all your questions. You will quickly discover that no matter what it is–He’s got it. Bro. Dewayne

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, spring, thankful, Trials

Singing before the Sunrise

Posted on March 20, 2024March 16, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

It happens every year…just about this time. One of the amazing things about God’s creation is the preciseness of it all. You can predict the time of the sunrise a hundred years from today within seconds. The seasons come and go with precise assuredness, and it is not an accident. Oh no, it is by intentional design. The Creator God of it all is the God of details and He doesn’t miss one. Just a couple of years ago here in Southern Illinois we were freezing and had a dose of snow, sleet, and ice. Then the following Monday it was just over seventy degrees, the grass was greening, and the limbs of the trees were swelling with anticipation. They all know it is time. Even late snow won’t upset the apple cart.

I know sometimes we worry about some things and sometimes we worry about everything, but nature just doesn’t seem to have that problem. Sometimes I long for that. When things around me seem so confusing and threatening, when it seems that the new normal isn’t normal at all…I just tend to worry. But nature doesn’t miss a beat. A few mornings ago, I got up at my somewhat usual 5:30 am (don’t ask me why) and began my day with a cup of coffee and some time with Jesus. It works well. The coffee wakes me up and my time with Jesus sets me up for a brand-new day.

At 5:30 am the sun is still sleeping so the skies and the countryside are still dark…very dark. But something happens every year…just about this time. Somewhere in my yard, somewhere outside my window a songbird starts to sing. I’m sure it is a different bird every year and it might even be a different bird every day but long before daylight, he or she decides to sing. I find it very…refreshing. Though it is dark, the songbird sings in anticipation of what is coming. Somehow, they know that the darkness of night is just about over, and the sun is going to rise. They seem to know that the darkness cannot last forever…it must give way to the power of light.

By faith, the songbird sings its celebration of Spring and of a new day. And do you know what? Sure enough, in about thirty or forty minutes, the dawn begins to break, and God honors their faith. Day in and day out the songbird sings and day in and day out God is faithful. I think there is a lesson there for us. Actually, there are two lessons to learn. First, is the lesson of our faithfulness. The songbird sings not because it sees the light but because it believes the light is coming. Tucked away in a letter that Paul wrote to the church located in Corinth are these words, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We.Walk.By.Faith.

The songbird sings by faith and God calls us to walk by faith. Walking by faith believes that what God has said will come to pass. And the second lesson? It is the lesson of His faithfulness. Our faithfulness is based on a faithful One. We have all lived long enough to know that put your faith in the wrong thing and you’re toast. But put your faith in the One who is faithful, and it is the sanest, most logical thing that you can do. In 2020 it was difficult to find sure footing. Everywhere you stepped it was shifting sand and honestly, 2021 wasn’t much better. The one exception to that was God. The God who was God in March of 2020 when we started that COVID mess is the same faithful God today, four years later. He does not change. You can take that to the bank.

So tomorrow morning, even if it’s out of the range of my hearing, a songbird will begin to sing in the darkness. It will be announcing, by faith, that a new day is coming—daylight is coming. And Lord willing, most of us will awaken from a night of rest. For some it may be dark and for others quite light, but for all of us we have the opportunity to take our first steps in the new day. I hope they will be steps of faith…faith in a Dearest Daddy who loves us enough to guide us, to help us and to lead us. All we must do is believe…in Him…in who He is and what He said. He has never failed, you know. It is totally foreign to Him. He can and will come through…not matter what. So, go ahead and peer out into the darkness as the songbird sings and know, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, Grace, life, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, wisdom

Singing before the Sunrise

Posted on March 22, 2022March 21, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

It happens every year…just about this time. One of the amazing things about God’s creation is the preciseness of it all. You can predict the time of the sunrise a hundred years from today within seconds. The seasons come and go with precise assuredness, and it is not an accident. Oh no, it is by intentional design. The Creator God of it all is the God of details and He doesn’t miss one. Just a couple of weeks ago here in Southern Illinois we were freezing and had a dose of snow, sleet, and ice. Monday it was just over seventy degrees, the grass is greening, and the limbs of the trees are swelling with anticipation. They all know it is time. Even a late snow won’t upset the apple cart.

I know sometimes we worry about some things and sometimes we worry about everything, but nature just doesn’t seem to have that problem. Sometimes I long for that. When things around me seem so confusing and threatening, when it seems that the new normal isn’t normal at all…I just have a tendency to worry. But nature doesn’t miss a beat. This morning, I got up at my somewhat usual 4:30 am (don’t ask me why) and began my day with a cup of coffee and a time with Jesus. It works well. The coffee wakes me up and my time with Jesus sets me up for a brand-new day.

At 4:30 am the sun is still sleeping so the skies and the countryside are still dark…very dark. But something happens every year…just about this time. Somewhere in my yard, somewhere outside my window a songbird starts to sing. I’m sure it is a different bird every year and it might even be a different bird every day but long before daylight, he or she decides to sing. I find it very…refreshing. Though it is dark, the songbird sings in anticipation of what is coming. Somehow, they know that the darkness of night is just about over, and the sun is going to rise. They seem to know that the darkness cannot last forever…it must give way to the power of light.

By faith, the songbird sings its celebration of Spring and of a new day. And do you know what? Sure enough, in about thirty or forty minutes, the dawn begins to break, and God honors their faith. Day in and day out the songbird sings and day in and day out God is faithful. I think there is a lesson there for us. Actually, there are two. First, is the lesson of our faithfulness. The songbird sings not because it sees the light but because it believes the light is coming. Tucked away in a letter that Paul wrote to the church located in Corinth are these words, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We.Walk.By.Faith.

The songbird sings by faith and God calls us to walk by faith. Walking by faith believes that what God has said will come to pass. And the second lesson? It is the lesson of His faithfulness. Our faithfulness is based on a faithful One. We have all lived long enough to know that put your faith in the wrong thing and you’re toast. But put your faith in the One who is faithful, and it is the most sane, most logical thing that you can do. In 2020 it was difficult to find sure footing. Everywhere you stepped it was shifting sand and honestly, 2021 wasn’t much better. The one exception to that was God. The God who was God in March of 2020 when we started this COVID mess is the same faithful God today, two years later. He does not change. You can take that to the bank.

So tomorrow morning, even if it’s out of the range of my hearting, a songbird will begin to sing in the darkness. It will be announcing, by faith, that a new day is coming—daylight is coming. And Lord willing, most of us will awaken from a night of rest. For some it may be dark and for others quite light, but for all of us we have the opportunity to take our first steps in the new day. I hope they will be steps of faith…faith in a Dearest Daddy who loves us enough to guide us, to help us and to lead us. All we have to do is believe…in Him…in who He is and what He said. He has never failed, you know. It is totally foreign to Him. He can and will come through…not matter what. So, go ahead and peer out into the darkness as the songbird sings and know, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne