Faith

I think most people when they think about faith, they think of it being a religious thing and often use the word as a noun, as in “My faith is such and such church.” But faith is so much more. You need not even be part of a certain religion to have faith. Faith is certainly spoken of and defined in various ways among these religions, and most consider it integral and vital to their belief system.

But faith is so much more! Faith is the ability to see beyond circumstances and limitations and to dig deeper to find the strength to do what must be done.

I am going to use a definition of faith from the Bible, not because I am trying to sell a particular religion to anyone, but because it is such a great definition! "Faith is the very substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen," is well said in Hebrews 11:1. Makes sense! There are those times in life when we cannot see any hope in a particular situation, where the odds are against us and it just seems impossible. Yet something within us rises up and reminds us that impossible is not even a word in the warrior’s vocabulary, it is just a reason for someone not to try.

We are capable of so much more than we think. Human beings have been doing impossible feats, overcoming incredible circumstances, going from zero to hero so many times in this world that it can’t be counted. Why? Because they believed in something beyond their own strength and capability. They reached beyond what they perceived they were capable of and ignored their limitations and achieved the "impossible."

Where do you find the strength to rise when you are down? Where do you find the strength to get up and fight a little longer? You draw from something deep within your spirit beyond explanation and words. It is beyond trying, it is doing what needs to be done. It is seeing the substance and evidence of a thing that seemingly does not exist but somehow you see it in your lowest, weakest moment.

Faith says, “Don’t give up! You have to face the clouds to see the silver lining.” Faith says, “Is the enemy running toward you? Run toward him!” Faith is what helps us look the enemy in the eye and say “Bring it!” Faith is what takes the fear we have and turns it into the strength we need and even turns it into chains to bind our enemy rather than our enemy binding us with fear.

Faith is our eyes to see the invisible. It is our ability to look beyond the circumstances and see possibility. Faith is our ability to find that higher power we need. It is Mickey in our corner saying, “Get up, Rock!” Faith is our choice to look beyond what the bad report says and doing everything within us to fight and not listen to the voices of defeat and giving up. It is entering the fight to win whether we die trying or not, and when the air clears, no one can say we lost because of the spirit we fought with. Faith chooses not to turn to drugs, alcohol and suicide when faced with insurmountable odds against us. Faith cries out to a higher power outside themselves just so they can hear the voice clearly that says, “You got this!”

Yes, faith moves mountains, shuts the mouths of lions and clears our vision to see the possibilities of what is ahead. It is a wellspring of strength that is within us all.