Living a Life of Faith

What goes through your mind in those moments that are so tough that it feels justified to give up, when you reach a point where you desperately want to turn back from whatever path you're pursuing? Fear. You're scared of what's going to happen next, sacred that you can't move forward from there, scared that you were better of before you even attempted, scared that you can't make it anyways and things aren't going to work out, so why even bother trying. One thing I've learned is that whenever fear is an option, so is faith. Any opportunity to turn back is as good an opportunity to grow your faith.

Abraham is well known as the father of faith, and once you read his story in Genesis 12, the why is pretty obvious. Imagine leaving your life as you know it - your family, friends, career, hobbies, comfort, stability - behind to head somewhere in the world, you don't know where, and the only guarantee you have to cling to is a promise. It's even worse when you think about the historical context. There weren't any planes or ships then; this was a journey that could have taken months, years, and Abraham didn't even know where he was going. If he finally got there and didn't like the place, who knows if he would be able to go back. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have taken such an offer, but Abraham, then Abram, did.

On that long journey, Abraham no doubt would have faced obstacles. What if they were robbed of their possessions on the way? What if they ran out of food and/or water and couldn't find any nearby for a while? What if some of the people with him got annoyed about the journey and cursed him? All these things and more could have easily happened, and it's not unreasonable to say they probably did. What if Abraham himself got tired? He was in charge of the whole journey, but even he didn't know where they were going until they got there. But in those moments of doubt, discouragement, obstacles, and fear, Abraham had faith. Instead of turning back, he decided to keep going and keep trusting. That is faith.

Peace and love of Christ be with you all!