Faith is Believing
Life is a constant series of ups and downs. There are no blueprints to prepare you for what’s to come in times ahead. While this may make some things more exciting, the unexpected downs might knock you out for quite awhile. In all honesty, the past two years have been a constant series of ups and downs for me, with little time to rest. I’d like to share what keeps me going, what makes me want to wake up and push as hard as I can: my faith in God and the support of my family and friends.
I attended Catholic school from kindergarten to eighth grade. My whole life, my family has gone to church every Sunday. While my faith has never wavered, many things the past few years have made me question my religion. I know above all that God has my best interest at heart and knows what I can endure. To constantly remind me of this, I have a postcard with the poem “Footprints in the Sand” hung on my mirror. If you haven’t read this, I highly recommend that you do. Basically, it talks about a man who is walking on the beach with God and when he looks back, he notices that during his hardest times in life there is only one set of footprints left in the sand. He questions the Lord and asks him why he left him in his biggest times of need. God simply responds, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you.” So even when you feel like something has completely destroyed you, always know that God is carrying you along when you can’t walk yourself.
Another huge thing to have in your life is a strong support system. You need people who drive your faith even further into your life. My parents, whom I thank and love greatly, are the ones that presented me to the idea of faith early on. My family still attends church every Sunday and prays before we eat meals together. I personally pray on a daily basis, thanking God for all that he has blessed me with and asking him to take care of the people in my life, keeping them safe from harm. Also, I have faith that the people I have lost in my life watch over me daily, filling my heart with love. Recently, I’ve lost several people that I was close to or really looked up to, and that’s another thing with faith, it keeps you closely connected to those who you no longer have with you. It also brings you closer to the people you still have on Earth, strengthening your love for one another and helping you believe in God even more. Faith reminds you not to take anything for granted, especially the people you’ve met and been blessed with.
“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Comments
Steve B. June 17, 2012 at 10:25 PM
Great, inspirational post. I love that poem/song!