July 6, 2025
Pastor Bandon, Speaker
Steppin’ Out
Reflections on the Sunday Sermon
Linda Waltersdorf Cobourn
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Be an example!”
The voice startled me. I was driving along Island Road, headed to my job as an ESL teacher in a Philadelphia high school, when, out of nowhere, a voice inside the car said, “Be an example.”
What? Me? Was I hearing things?
I knew it was God. I’m not someone who hears audible messages from God every day. More often, He speaks through Scripture, sermons, or a still small voice. But this moment felt different. God had something to say—and I knew I couldn’t ignore it.
Still, I wondered: Be an example of what? And to whom?
At the time, I was juggling a full-time job, a part-time job, and caregiving for my chronically ill husband. I felt like the only thing I was an example of was exhaustion.
Two months later, Ron passed away quietly. Suddenly, my roles were gone. No longer a wife or caregiver, I asked, Who am I now?
And that’s when I began to understand.
Hebrews 11 tells the stories of faithful people who became examples by trusting God in the unknown:
– Abel, who brought an offering in faith.
– Enoch, who pleased God and never saw death.
– Noah, who built an ark before a drop of rain had fallen.
– Abraham, who obeyed God’s call to leave everything behind.
– Sarah, who laughed—and then believed—when told she’d bear a son in old age.
They weren’t perfect. But they acted in faith.
Pastor Brandon reminded us this week that faith is better than our senses. Our circumstances can lie to us. Our bodies grow tired. But faith stands firm when everything else feels shaky. It lets us see beyond what is, and believe in what will be.
Hebrews 11:16 says, “They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Faith brought Pastor Brandon home to Wilmington. It brought me through grief. And it continues to call each of us forward, even when the road ahead is unclear.
After Ron’s death, I slowly began to step into a new calling. I could write, speak, and encourage others walking the path of caregiving or loss. I could be an example—not of perfection—but of perseverance.
What I once thought was impossible, God made possible.
What might He be asking of you?
Closing Prayer
Lord,
When I cannot see the way forward, help me trust You anyway.
Make me an example—not of strength, but of faith.
Use my life, even the broken parts, for Your glory.
Amen.
