Faith by definition is an allegiance to duty or a person; belief and trust in and loyalty to God. To me, well, having faith is just HARD! But it’s something we could all use a little more of.
I grew up Catholic never really understanding that I was supposed to have a relationship with Christ; I just did what I was raised to do- go to church on Sunday, say my prayers before bed and say ‘amen’ when the food was blessed at Thanksgiving. I never even owned a bible until I made my Confirmation and I was given a short book on the New Testament.
Everything Changed in a moment
But everything changed when just a few short years ago in 2013 new neighbors moved in a few houses down. My husband Joe and I got to know the nice couple, a pastor and his wife who also worked in the church. We saw them almost every day and spoke regularly when one day Joe mentioned to our pastor neighbor that we’d love to go see him next time he ‘pastorizes’ (yep, those were his words!) We went to church and knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be, we both gave our lives over to Christ that day.
Joe and I have always been very loving, giving, compassionate people - our neighbors even told us that when they first met us, they told each other that we were the nicest non-Christians they’d ever met. But having faith and believing in all Christ is and can do didn’t come easy to me – I’m a very analytical girl and tried to rationalize everything; figure it all out, what it all meant, realizing that my life had now changed completely. I was no longer just living to get up, go to work, go about my day, have fun, travel and everything else I did for ‘me’. My life had an entirely different meaning – I was now supposed to be living for others, to be of service and to spread the word of God. I had a very hard time wrapping my head around my new life.
But with time – reading my bible, being involved with the church, having deep conversations with Joe, I started to get it, to truly understand what it meant to be a child of God. And since then, I’d spent years trying to figure out my purpose: what am I supposed to be doing with my life? Who am I supposed to be serving and in what capacity? And that’s where my challenge was- I was trying to ‘figure it out’ instead of handing it over to God.
Handing it over to God meant I had to ‘let go’ and trust, have faith that things would work out for my good. Giving up control, is just so HARD! But I choose to believe in the unseen, even though it’s not easy. I have to continually WORK on my faith, reading scripture and practicing it daily. Just like anything else, to get better you have to practice.
Growing Faith
I recently planted some basil seeds that I brought back from our trip to Italy last year and got to experience a physical, visual example of faith- exactly what my analytical mind needs! I planted the seeds in egg shells and had to trust that below the surface of the soil, magic would happen.
Even though I couldn’t see it, the seeds were growing into the plant they would become. So many times I wanted to dig my finger in the dirt and peek to see that they were doing what they were supposed to be doing… but I resisted. And soon I saw tiny little sprouts growing from the dirt. I nurtured them and cared for them for months as they continued to grow and soon I was able to replant them into little pots.
When I cracked the egg shells and revealed the roots, I was amazed at the complicated system that grew in that tiny little shell, now ready to burst out and become something bigger and better. There it was: this new plant that with a little water, love and FAITH, grew to exactly what it was meant to be.
How to grow YOUR Faith
If, like me, faith doesn’t come easy for you, it may be time to take action to grow your faith. Here’s a few things that have worked for me:
Feed your Faith- the only way to know how to have faith is to KNOW faith, and that comes through reading the Word. Plan time daily to read your Bible and get to know the word of God.
Practice- put your new found knowledge into action. Actions put the Faith into the world to make your faith complete. “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” James 2:22
Find a support system- we are the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time with so make sure those 5 people are in line with your beliefs. Share your journey with others and hear their journeys to bring confirmation of faith to all of you.
Pray bigger- God is a God of miracles. Believe the impossible is possible because He wants the BEST for you! Why pray for the minimum when God wants it ALL for you? Pray BIG, hand it over to him and leave it in His capable hands.
As one of my good friends reminded me, you can’t have fear AND faith- choose one! Knowing that it’s one or the other makes it clear to me which path I choose. And like the tiny basil plant, I know that with a little faith, I can be all I am called to be.
