Blessed by Faith

From The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary of The English Language faith is defined as trust, confidence, complete acceptance of a truth which cannot be demonstrated or proved by the process of logic thought-the virtue by which a Christian believes in the revealed truth of God.

Then, in the book of Hebrews chapter eleven verse one, faith is described as, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It is the handle on what we can’t see.”

I first learned about God from what my parents told me. I surmised that God lived very far away, and was kind of like Santa Clause. 

God was Someone I had to please by doing stuff like going to confession, going to Mass, taking communion, giving up stuff during lent and praying the rosary. 

I got along okay with these ideas about God for the first thirteen years of my life. Then, Dad ended his life by suicide and the ideas I formulated about who God was, were easy to discard. 

We form our opinions and our ideas based on what we’ve heard, what we think we know, and what others have told us. But faith is shaped by Who we know. 

Who do I know God to be? How do I explain the invisible, yet present? How do I explain the path I walk one step at a time because I only see one step at a time? How do I explain the confidence in God’s perfect love and acceptance of me? How do I explain the transformation from just having ideas about God to actually getting to know God for myself?

What if I were to describe my faith as being like a tiny poppy seed? I put that little seed in soft, warm soil. Then I water it, make sure it gets sunlight and keep the weeds from it. 

Eventually, that poppy seed turns into a beautiful flower because it was made to be a flower and because I paid attention to giving it what it needed.

Even though I cannot explain the invisible, I cannot explain the path I walk one step at a time because that is all I see and I can’t explain how I know God loves and accepts me perfectly, faith is something that does show in a person’s life. 

Why Bother?

Why bother being blessed by faith? “This trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It is the handle on what we can’t see.”

Faith can be displayed. Faith can grow. And the blessings of faith can be received by anyone who believes.