I remember the day my son died like it was yesterday. The smell of the hospital, the sounds of the ICU machines, my son lying on that bed while the medical team scrambled around him…I remember everything. Everything inside of me felt like it was collapsing, breaking… It felt like something had been taken from me that I could never get back.
You ask why is faith important in everyday life because losing a loved one is hard enough, but when you add in the feeling of emptiness that comes with NOT having faith. That pain WITH feeling alone and hollow can be downright unbearable…
But what is faith anyway? The online dictionary defines faith as “a firm belief in something for which there is no proof” [1]. So by that definition, faith is basically belief in something without any evidence whatsoever. And to be honest, that’s a tough pill to swallow…
But over the years, I’ve come to realize that faith isn’t about having all the answers or knowing things for certain. It’s more about trusting in a higher power despite not being able to see everything clearly. That kind of faith can make all the difference in the world, especially when dealing with life and having body issues.
My Christian faith journey, to me, is primarily about trust and provision. It’s believing that there is a reliable source of strength and support, even when everything around me is crumbling. It’s trusting that God will provide for my needs, even when I can’t see how things will work out.
And it’s knowing that this source always has my best interests at heart. Faith is also about hope. It’s accepting that, despite the darkness I may be facing in the present, there is light awaiting me in the future.
It is believing that my son is happy and whole somewhere. It’s holding onto the belief that better days are ahead for Jaden, even when everything seems hopeless for me. In short, faith is about taking a leap of trust into the unknown and being confident that I will BE.
For some people, faith is simply about believing in something because it brings comfort or peace of mind. For others (others being me), faith is about following a set of religious beliefs and living according to those teachings [2]. But ultimately, faith is whatever you believe in; it doesn’t have to be based on evidence or include religious beliefs.
Although in my opinion, the religious one is the whole premise of faith, because believing that someone out there thinks I’m worthy of love and that HE is carrying me when I can’t even carry myself. Well, that is the point of faith indeed.
And while faith might seem like something personal or private, it can actually be a very powerful force in our lives (not a Jedi force but a force nonetheless). It can give comfort when we’re grieving, and hope when things seem hopeless. It can also bring us together with other people who share our beliefs, creating a sense of community and belonging.
It’s what gives us the strength to keep going when we feel like giving up. In short, faith is what makes life worth living and makes us want to start something fresh. It’s the glue that holds us together when everything else seems to be falling apart. Without faith, we would be lost…I would be lost.
For me, faith is not something that I display on a shelf or in a frame; in other words, it is not something I put on display for others to see. Instead, faith is something that is woven into the fabric of my everyday life. It’s the way I live my life, moment by moment and day by day.
It’s the choices I make, the people I surround myself with, and the things I give my time and attention to. Faith is also how I respond when life doesn’t go according to plan. It’s how to deal with my marriage, parenting, disappointment, heartache, and loss.
It’s how I find hope in the midst of darkness and how I keep going when all I want to do is give up. For me, faith is not a static thing; it’s dynamic and alive. And it’s something that I am constantly striving to build and strengthen.
It shapes my values, my relationships, and my actions. I was raised in a churchy environment; my mom made sure we went to church every Sunday and youth club every Friday. That environment emphasized service to others and compassion for the poor and vulnerable. That tradition has instilled in me a strong sense of social responsibility, and I have always been drawn to help make the world a better place.
I’m trying to help people one article, one post, one song, or one smile at a time. My faith also teaches me to see all people as equal in the eyes of God, to treat them with kindness and respect. This principle guides my walk with others, helping me to build strong and lasting relationships. It requires me to live according to certain moral standards.
While these standards can be challenging at times, they provide a powerful framework for living a good and meaningful life.
Faith is an essential part of the Christian life. It is what allows us to believe in God, even when we cannot see Him. It is what gives us hope when we are faced with trials and adversity. And it is what allows us to love others, even when we feel they do not deserve it. Faith is not a feeling or an emotion; it is a decision.
It is a choice to believe in God, even when it would be easier to give up. The Bible tells us that faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). When we have faith, we are showing Him that we trust HIM, even when things are difficult.
We are saying that we believe HE is good, even when we do not understand what HE is doing. Having faith requires humility and dependence on God. It means admitting that we cannot do everything on our own and that we need HIM. But it is worth it because when we have faith, we can know that HE is always with us and that HE will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
I will be honest, I am still struggling with the ‘why God?’ phase, but I am trying to hold on to my faith for no other reason but to believe my baby is in a better place. For how can I believe in a better place and not believe in HIM?
Faith is the belief in something you can’t see or touch. It’s the belief that things will work out for the best, even when you don’t know how they will. And it’s the belief that we are all connected, no matter what our differences are.
To me, my faith is the religious one, and it is THE single most important thing in my life. I’m not sure I would have survived all that has happened to me over the years if it weren’t for God…
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