Faith

While I am trying to grow into this blogging thing, deciding what to write, how to write it, and why I should write, I struggle not only with content, but with purpose. As I browse other blogs, and seem to notice a theme; most of them, at some point, deal with personal issues of great importance to them. And so today’s entry will reflect an issue important to me.

I have been a follower of Jesus Christ for many years. I have experienced times of wonderful growth, times of spiritual drought. I have experienced times of unbounded joy with Jesus, as well as times of deep sorrow, where all I have to cling to is my faith. I have had entertaining times when people told me that Jesus wasn’t real; my faith was wasted on falsehoods and fallacies, fairy tales that had no basis in truths. Those times were funny because the Holy Spirit was talking to me the whole time they were speaking!

And now we celebrate the baptism and commitment of our daughter to faith in Christ. We pray that she develops and grows in her faith and we parent her to offer the best opportunity for that. These days afford easy opportunities for rejoicing, for celebration and sharing our faith with family and friends.

Simultaneously, we are walking through the final weeks of the life of my father. My faith exhibits itself differently in this situation. I find a silent strength, an underlying comfort that allows me to celebrate and to grieve. It also affords hope and assurance that I will see my dad- and my mom- again one day.

You may believe faith is a personal thing, designed to be kept to oneself; fine. My faith is personal for me. However, my faith is very real; faith in a living Savior who loves me and gave His life for me, and who will return for me someday. Go ahead and tell me it isn’t real; the smile on my face will be me talking to Jesus about you talking about me!

Life is good….