Faith is very important to our everyday life. Let’s just take a step back and look at faith from a hindsight perspective. In general, much of life is lived with a great degree of faith. Faith helps us to navigate life in a way that makes life less frightening.
We don’t question if a chair will hold us as we prepare to sit in it. We don’t question whether we will be hit by a car while crossing the street. We don’t question our drive to work, will we arrive safe. Without ever thinking about it, we just do what we do.
So, why is faith so important to life? Faith is important because faith frames who we are, our existence, our values, our hopes, and our dreams. Faith is the quiet calm before a storm. Faith is the anchor in a storm. There is a misconception that faith is all about winning. Faith is not a game of the winners verses the losers. But faith is that inner resolve of believing that no matter the outcome, you are in the hands of God.
Faith isn’t contingent upon a win, instead, faith positions us to have peace regardless of the outcome. Faith revolves around our life experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The late Dr. Robert Schuller, a renowned pastor and motivational speaker says, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” This would suggest that not only does faith revolves around our life experiences, but also that our life experiences revolve around our faith. Therefore, faith is like building blocks that continues to grow and to evolve.
Faith is not only important to everyday life, but it is an essential component to our humanity. When looking at faith from a psychological, mental, and emotional health perspective, according to Psychology Today, “Faith is an expression of hope for something better. More than a wish, it is closer to a belief, but not quite. A belief is rooted in the mind. Faith is based in the heart. … Without faith in ourselves, we would hold ourselves cheap, and without faith in others, we could never live as free people. This is the water that quenches parched souls.”
When looking at faith from a biblical perspective, the Bible also aligns faith as an essential component to life.
According to a quote by Ellen G. White, she says, “The great moral powers of the soul are faith, hope, and love.” This would suggest that faith acts as a barometer for navigating life’s unknowns. In the words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”
How many times have we said, “maybe if I had prayed more,” “believed more,” this would have never happened? We bargained with God for a different outcome. Where is faith when we don’t get a desired outcome?
It’s not that we’ve lost our faith, but faith is like grief, in that it comes in waves. So, the reality of life is this, we will all face challenges that will test our faith in one way or another. It is not our faith that fails us, it is life’s unpredictability that fails us.
The Prayer of Serenity gives us a sweet spot to land our faith when facing the unknown. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Lastly, faith is showing up every day and putting your best foot forward.
Kimberly Strain
Your Pastor Speaks
Kimberly Strain is pastor at the Outreach Christian Center, 77 London Road, Building B, Delaware.
