Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.

They were astonished and said,

"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” // Matthew 13:54

I looked down at the test. Negative again. I wasn’t surprised because it was always negative. No matter the labs or the hormones or the fertility trackers, my pregnancy tests always turned up negative. 

But not for everyone else, of course. Because every other week seemed to usher in another person with another story about another miracle. 

That’s when the doubt began to take hold. It was a slow degradation of faith for me, one that fought its way to my heart through years of disappointment. It waged war on my belief in God’s ability and placed limits on what I believed He could do in our lives. 

Today’s Gospel reading reminds me about the limits we so often place on Christ. The people in His native town took offense at His wisdom and mighty deeds. They could not believe that someone so close to them could perform such miracles. 

I think we can all relate to the townspeople in today’s Gospel. We so often place limits on God’s ability in our lives based on assumptions we place upon Him. 

And I wonder, dear sister, what sort of limits are you placing on Him? In what way do you struggle to believe that He will come through for you? 

I am here to remind you of His power. Because just today I got to feed breakfast to two picky little eaters. And though I know my story is not yours, it is a reflection of God’s great ability to work outside of the limits we so often place upon Him. 

Trust Him, dear sister, for He has great things in store.