My cousin has a small tattoo on her foot that reads F.R.O.G. She liked frogs when she was a little girl, but as she’s not a “tattoo person,” I asked her why she had this particular phrase inked onto her foot. She replied, “It reminds me to Fully Rely On God.”

Are you like me… pretty good at keeping the R.O.G. part of that tattoo, while frequently dropping the “Fully” in your reliance on God? I find it all too easy to view the events in my life like tasty food on a buffet table, choosing the things I trust God to handle while putting on another plate the ones I want to worry about a while longer. For example, I relied on God’s direction through our homeschooling years, and have trusted Him to strengthen our sons in their TCK journey, but I’m really struggling with putting into His hands the college and career stage of their (and our!) lives.

A look at several heroes of the faith reminds us that we’re in good company when it comes to usually (but not always) relying on God. Abraham and Sarah followed God in complete faith when He told them to uproot their lives and set out for an unknown destination, but they faltered on believing His promise to give them a son. Gideon was visited by the angel of the LORD himself, but he still asked for several signs to prove God’s word. And our dear sister Naomi actually changed her name from “pleasant” to “bitter” when she struggled to fully trust in God’s promise to take care of her after her husband and sons died.

I’m grateful for the Biblical reminder that I'm not the only child of God who sometimes fails to fully rely on Him. And I’ll admit that I’m a bit tempted by my cousin’s permanent reminder in the F.R.O.G. tattoo on her foot. But I’m not a “tattoo girl,” so I’ll choose instead to ink King David’s reminder on my heart,

“You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”