Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(NIV, Hebrews 11:1)
For we live by faith, not by sight.
(NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:7)
If you noticed the lack of sight in both of these verses, then you might understand why having faith is actually quite difficult. It’s like walking on a tightrope blindfolded with storms (of life) raging all around you, compromising your balance. Faith is knowing you’ll get where you need to go and that God is guiding your every step; even though you can’t see either.
Being able to see into the future (what lies ahead of the tightrope) and see God with our own eyes (what’s guiding our path) means there wouldn’t be such a thing as having faith. It’s all about not seeing these things yet believing.
Clearly, having faith does not come easily. We naturally have a tendency to need to see or get a sign for our minds to be at ease. However, having a deeper understanding of faith can help break down this tendency.
Here are a few things to reflect on when it comes to the definition of faith and its practical meaning in your life.
- Faith means letting go of your pride, being vulnerable, and having trust. Stop stressing about controlling everything in your life and let God take the lead. Quite frankly, he knows best, and he’s the only one capable of steering any ship no matter the storm. Going back to our tightrope scenario, faith means you’re not even reaching up to remove the blindfold to see the next step. Instead, you’re praying for guidance and direction, wisdom and understanding; and most of all, you’re praying to have more faith.
- Faith leads to hope. Having faith that the creator of the universe ultimately has your back and that everything that happens (good or bad) is ultimately for your good is a promise we can all count on, which can give you hope in hopeless situations.
- Faith might be tested…Actually, it will be tested. It’s not uncommon for doubts to creep in. After a sudden gust of wind while you’re on the tightrope blindfolded, you might start to freak out. Doubt and faith are in a constant tug of war. But hopefully, faith continues to rise over doubts at least at the end of each day.
It’s only by doing away with pride, letting go, having trust, and casting our doubts aside that faith can truly manifest in our lives. Therefore, we have two choices: to either try to get to the end of the tightrope on our own or to walk it by faith. The first choice is instigated by pride. The second is truly trusting in God and letting go.