I was shopping the other day when I noticed something interesting. There was a display rack of gift cards to purchase with matching envelopes, but what caught my eye was the gift card that had "Faith" written across it. This got me thinking...... What if you could just hand a friend or a family member this card when they were going through a difficult time? What would you even say? "Hey I know things are really hard right know, but hang in there, I think you could use a little more faith."
Faith is a gift--it is a gift from God. It can't be purchased at the corner store or the corner church. It is a gift planted in our hearts which definitely needs to be unwrapped, layer by beautiful layer. Faith is transforming, but it's not magical. Faith requires trust and dependence on God in order to grow. At different times in our life, it can be strengthened, nourished, and tested---and sometimes this can surprisingly occur all at the same time. I think to me, faith is an active deep, mysterious yearning inside me that craves to understand and love God and the life He has given me. I want my faith to grow, and yet I wonder if I am the one who stands in the way of this growth. I sometimes try to rely on my own intellect and ability to reason and love, instead of trusting and relying on God. Faith often requires us to just let go of what we think is possible, and allow God to reveal to us what He sees as possible.
I definitely want to have more faith, that is why I pray over an over one of the most simplest and powerful of prayers:
Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you.
-Susan
