STEPPING OUT……IN FAITH……..

I am ,  for sure,   stepping out in faith as I struggle to understand what faith means to so many——–and to me.

I am no Biblical scholar and ,  at the very best ,   a ” fair-to-middlin’ ” Christian , but  I do try.

I am faithful to my church.  I “hear” the preacher.  I support our local missions.  I TRY to be patient.  I reach out to the needy . I love my family.   I adopt dogs instead of buying.   I suffer with , and for , the least, the lost, and the lonely.   And I respect others’ choices in their life journey.

But I fall short way more times than I find success.  I’m bossy.   I am impatient.  I’m grumpy way too often.   I can be judgmental .   I am helpless in the kitchen.  I react and respond too quickly on occasion.   I am opinionated.  And I, sometimes ,  fail to recognize that differences are not necessarily weaknesses.

But I have faith…………………..

Hebrews 11:1 gives the most comprehensive, yet simple ,  definition of faith that I could find——although there are many others, some from the religious viewpoint and some from the secular.

Hebrews states ” NOW FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE CONVICTION OF THINGS NOT SEEN “.

So how do we interpret that ?

Some believe that faith is a safety net, a security blanket, a comfort when things aren’t going well.  Using faith to calm our fears is reassuring.

Some believe that faith is all that is necessary ;  no further effort due on our part.  It stands alone.

Some believe that faith is one piece of a larger picture,  a picture that includes good works,  gentleness,  understanding,  tolerance,  and justice.

Some people use faith to avoid facing the truth .

Some use faith to prove themselves right in a controversy .

Some rely on faith as a crutch, steadying them when all else has failed.

And then there are some who are blessed with an unwavering  faith , simply internalizing as it is stated in Hebrews : the assurance of hope and the belief in the unknown.

So be it……………

But regrettably , there are those that  have no faith : not in a higher power, not in other people, not in themselves.  And that is sad.

It seems that many of us  ( most perhaps ) fall in several of these positions , depending on our circumstances at any given time.  Opinions change, knowledge changes, feelings change.

But this much is true :  faith gives us roots and wings.  It allows us to grow in our relationship with God and others.  It allows us the comfort of security regardless of circumstances or situations.  It allows us to step out and up, knowing that this, too, will pass.  And it allows us to love our fellow man without judgment.

One thing I’ve learned in all my years :  that those of us who place faith in God, whatever our denomination or leaning ,  are , perhaps , on different journeys , but the destination , indisputably, is the same.

And that, my friends, is what stepping out in faith is really about…….