Faith

     According to one dictionary the word is defined as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”  Most people think of this word in religious terms as having faith in God.  But as shown it can refer to many other things as well.

     Many people, even those not professing to believe in God, have faith in something.  We all get up in the morning with a measure of faith that the sun will be shining in the sky.  Perhaps without any conscience thought we have faith that the earth will continue to turn and provide the gravity we need to remain upon it and not to be flung out into space.

     To some degree we might have faith that our jobs will remain available to us when we drive to our company each morning.  We might even have faith in the seemingly impossible:  like the Cubbies winning the World Series!  But it can happen!

     I often think of the first astronauts being sent to the moon and the tremendous amount of faith they had to have in the scientists and engineers who prepared all that was necessary for that venture to take place.  Especially at the point when they were told that when we sling you into space you’ll be on a path that is way ahead of the moon’s current location.  However, don’t be concerned because after you travel almost 240,000 miles in space the moon will be there waiting for you!  That took a LOT of faith.

     Small children implicitly put faith in their parents.  They never worry that their parents will be there to provide for them and care for their daily needs.  And when parents care for this responsibility daily on a consistent basis the faith of their children grows ever stronger.  As we grow we look at others with a similar type of expectation.  As people in our lives continually to live up to those expectations we allow our faith in them to grow accordingly.

     The sad situation begins to develop when we allow ourselves to fail in being dependable or faithful to our responsibilities, whatever they may be.  Others can no longer have faith in us.  Our relationships begin to fail and crumble.  Some will try to mend the breaks within such situations, but it can take a long time to reestablish a faithful relationship with another after we have disappointed them in the past.  Others will take the position that “that’s just the way I am.”  “You can take it or leave it!”  They assume you will understand because in fact, “We’re only human!”

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Without faith many things are impossible!"