For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9
I think it only fitting that my first post be about Faith. It's something that none of us come by easily. We all struggle with it. We are commanded to have faith over and over again in the Bible (Matthew 21:22, Hebrews 11:6, Mark 11:22-24), but yet, when things go wrong in our life, do we look to the One who controls all? Do we trust God no matter what happens? Do we give up everything to Him, knowing fully that He will work everything out according to His will?
Faith is something we must constantly work on. It is not something that just happens instantly. Having faith would be impossible without God's promises. Saint Augustine said "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."
Imagine for a moment if you gave up everything to God; if you just completely trusted Him and let go instead of trying to hold on yourself. Imagine if you were willing to let God do whatever He knows is best with your life. Now imagine the blessings! God fulfills His promises to us, we only need to have faith.
The problem is, we think we know what's best for ourselves. We try to fix things our way instead of God's. The truth of the matter is, we don't have any idea what's truly best for us...God does. He knows what's best. We can receive His best if we trust Him instead of fighting His will.
Things don't always go the way we plan in life. Believe me, I know. I've had my fair share of disappointments. Things have happened that I can't even begin to describe. My spiritual life was a complete mess not too long ago (it's still not perfect now). I was constantly depressed, angry, and feeling sorry for myself. It went on for a long time. I felt many times that God had forgotten me. I cried out to Him, screamed at Him, but could not hear any response. Finally one day, just as I was about to give up I heard God say, "Get up! Stop wallowing in self-pity. I am here." That could not have come at a better time. From that point on I have chosen to have faith. I choose to look for hope in every situation. I have been learning to completely surrender to His will. I'm not quite there yet, I'm not sure if I ever will be, but I will continue to trust my Creator no matter what happens in my life.
Does that mean bad things don't happen in my life? Does it mean I don't ever waver in my faith? Of course not. Things still go wrong. But instead of being full of resentment, I trust that God is going to work it out. I trust that He has a reason for what's happening. And when I do, I feel a peace wash over me that I can't even try explaining.
Trust God. Put your life in His hands, and see what He does with it.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
-Proverbs 3:5-6
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