I was thinking about faith the other day. It has always been a word that sounds so fluffy to me. I realize thats a little crazy considering everything the bible says about faith. But the Christian world has always sugar coated it to me to look so sweet and easy. The fact that few things in my life have really shaken this “sweet” idea of faith doesn’t really help either. Well, I take that back.. it has been shaken before. Anyways- thats not the point, point is- I’m beginning to see how dirty faith is. By dirty I mean, requires work– hard, grungy, scrubbing a bathroom floor that hasn’t been cleaned in 20 years work. Its not just cute little sayings or artwork to decorate a house with. Its rough. I think the Christian decor that has the word faith in it shouldn’t look so sweet and innocent. They should be darker and not so frilly. Just my opinion.
Anyways, I’m seeing more clearly it takes effort to have faith. It takes courage and surrender. It takes trust and love. It’s not always smiles and joy to have faith. Some days its getting out of bed when you don’t want to, telling God- and yourself, you trust His ways to be better than your own. Some days its asking and questioning at his feet but still moving forward. Faith is what gets you up off the ground when you’ve been hit hard. No verse sums it up better than Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. There are no flowers or bright colors in that. It’s ultimate belief. Its leaning on something you may not see clearly or even at all but somehow trust is there.
How anyone has this kind of faith, I have no idea but by the grace of God. Another thing I’m becoming familiar with- the saving grace of my savior. I think understanding even a piece of His grace is part of what keeps me holding on in faith.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23