Faith is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. Despite
this, it seems like our society has lost track of what Christian faith really is.
Merriam Webster defines faith as: "something that is believed
especially with strong conviction." That's a perfectly acceptable
definition to put on an exam, but to us as Christians it's so much bigger
than that.
Faith is, first and foremost, our belief that God is not only real, but also
that He is the creator of all things and that He sent his son to die for us.
That's what I would consider the standard "Christian definition." Even
so, faith means much more than even that.
Faith is:
Knowing that God has a plan for every individual person on this
planet, and that no one is overlooked.
Trusting that no matter what obstacle is put in front of us, it's only
there because God knows that we can overcome it.
Trusting that no matter how bleak your situation may be at any
given time, God will always make sure that we come out the other
side better off than we were before.
Knowing that no matter what happens, it's because God wants it
to, and that nothing happens without God's approval.
Trusting that if God wants something to happen, He always has our
best interest in mind, even if we can't always see it in the
moment.
Knowing that God not only listens to our prayers, but wants to hear
them, and can even be influenced by them.
Knowing that miracles happen every day. At that, the word
'miracle' was made just to be able to begin to describe the
impossible occurrences that God brings into being on a regular
basis.
Nothing helps me more on a daily basis than simply trusting that God's
right there beside me every step of the way. With that in mind, I want
nothing more for people than to have that same comfort in their lives. I
believe that should be a goal for all of us.
Even all of that is just scratching the surface of what faith can be. Jesus
tells us in Matthew 17:20 that "if you have faith the size of a mustard
seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it
will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." If that tiny amount of
faith makes nothing impossible to us, then what do we ever have to
worry about?