There is a phrase that I include in some of my prayers, but curiously enough, it’s always included when I say Grace before a meal: “…….help us to walk in Your way…..” I began using this petition a few years ago, but it has really been on my mind today. Why today? I can’t say that I’m sure. I can say that I have an awareness concerning every step I take in life, each and every day. I’ve never walked with these eyes, with this spirit before….perhaps that’s the reason……
I don’t have a problem walking in God’s way; that is, I don’t have a problem with trying to walk the way of Christ. I’m a human; I stumble, stray (never too far), and lose my focus from time to time. I don’t think that God is surprised by this at all. In fact, it is my humble opinion that God expects us to stumble, stray, and lose focus from time to time. It is during those times when we are getting back on track that we realize that God is all forgiving; He forgives us no matter what we do, regardless of the seriousness of the offense, regardless of how many times we commit the same offense, over and over again! How many of us can say that we would do the same? How many of us would do the same? I mean, would you turn the other cheek, time after time after time? As much as I hate to admit it, I probably wouldn’t. What a forgiving God He is indeed!
Walking in His way? Something I gladly strive to do each and every day that I’m given another day. Funny, I don’t feel like I’m obligated to do this; I try to walk in His way because I know that doing so makes me a better person; and it makes me feel good!
Then there’s the issue of trust, as in putting complete trust in Him…..giving control of my life to Him….letting Him have my problems…..living by His timetable instead of my own….letting Him decide what’s best for me…..offering my life up to Him.
It has been much easier to walk a different walk down a different path than it has been for me to put down mental ‘baggage’ that I’ve carried around for years. In this instance, mental baggage is actually distrust! You see, there are things in my life that I still cannot give totally to God. I don’t trust Him enough yet. How sad. How human. Do you have some of those ‘issues’ that you can’t seem to let go of? Perhaps, if you take this journey with me, we’ll both learn to let go of some things.
I welcome the challenge of growing in my walk of faith. And I look forward to the day when I have learned to ‘let go and let God’; to trust Him completely. When that day comes, and I pray that it will, I can only imagine the peace of mind that I’ll be blessed with. And I believe that “…help us to walk in Your way” will be more than a petition; walking in His way will be a reality.
contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com
As defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
faith
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2): sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction ; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Faith
Isn’t it funny how one word can elicit such a range of emotions?
Some people live by that word, faith. They walk with it every day. They wear faith as if it were a badge, and are not afraid to openly speak about it. Like prospectors searching for the perfect diamond, they dig deeper and deeper, hoping to find faith in its purest form. For them, faith is a source of strength, a font of knowledge, a shelter from the storms that life has to offer.
Some have that very same faith, but would never profess their beliefs outside of a church. Their reluctance to speak openly about faith could be a carry-over from the business world, or perhaps the mind-set of our society today. I mean, certain individuals have made removing God from schools, sporting events, courtrooms, all public places their life’s ambition. I can certainly understand one’s hesitance to speak openly about faith in certain circles.
There are those that hide behind their faith, talking the talk, but not walking the walk. These people frequently feel that their faith gives them to free reign to do or say what they please, regardless of the consequences.
Other people don’t know what faith means, according to any of the definitions found in the dictionary; nor do they care to know. I wonder if they truly don’t care, or if they are afraid of what they may learn. Hmmm.
Still others cringe at the mere sound of word, as if they had just swallowed sour milk! These people don’t want any part of that “faith thing”, and often look down at those who profess their faith. It’s as if they see faith as being a personality weakness, or character flaw.
So what is faith, anyway?
Well, obviously faith can be defined using any or all of the definitions offered above or using a combination of those definitions.
I humbly offer you my definition, and a few thoughts on faith.
Faith, for me, quite simply means believing.
In the religious context, I happen to believe in God. And I just happen to be a Catholic. But that doesn’t set me apart from other Christians. I like to use different makes of automobiles as an analogy for different denominations. Say, for instance, that we’re all going to meet at a particular restaurant for dinner. You may get in your Ford, another may get into his Chevy, and I hop into my Infiniti. We all have different vehicles, but we’re all trying to get to the same place, right? Different Christian churches and religious denominations are just like that; we may have different “vehicles”, but we’re all trying to get to the same place!
There are those of us who have come to the conclusion that we don’t believe in anyone or anything greater than ourselves. But even that is a belief, isn’t it? This brings us full circle back to my original statement: faith means believing.
Here are other examples of faith:
You may believe that your spouse will always love you and be true to you. You may go to bed tonight believing that you will wake up tomorrow morning, and that the sun will be in the sky, and that you will still have a job. You may believe that this country will withstand the test of time and remain the land of opportunity that it is. You may believe in God.
Here’s the thing:
You don’t know that your spouse will remain true to you, or that you’ll wake up, or that the sun will be in the sky, or that you will have a job. You don’t know that 2 years from now the United States of America will be the country that it is today. Where God is concerned, you’ve never seen Him, never touched Him, and never heard His voice, at least not in the sense of hearing as we know it.
If you believe in your spouse, or your job, or tomorrow, or this country, or God, or any of the above, then you, my friend, have faith. And oh by the way; it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Contact me:: sam@theseedofhope.com
