I normally don’t post religious work here, but I have been writing newletter submissions for church and in regards to what has been going on this week, this one seemed too important not to share.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen — Hebrews 11:1

                Think back on your favorite childhood birthday. Chances are, the anticipation was part of what made your special day exciting. Perhaps you knew your parents were going to give you a party and you hoped all your friends would come. Maybe you had your heart set on that one special gift that you wanted more than anything else. Whatever the circumstances, you didn’t know all the details ahead of time even though you hoped things would turn out the way you wanted. This is the same experience we have when we set out on our faith journey. Although we may study and understand the teachings of the prophets , we have not yet looked upon the face of our Savior.  The fact that we believe despite this is the very definition of faith, but it can be tested in many ways. One of the hardest parts of being a Christian is maintaining our faith focus in difficult times. We often wonder why God allows suffering and how evil can so easily take hold in our society, and this can make it tempting to give up on our faith.  We must accept that we will be confronted with evil because we choose to follow God; even the most devout Christians will have doubts or question God at some point.  The apostles, whom received firsthand knowledge of the resurrection, feared the truth and doubted the possibility of Jesus’ return.  Their example proves that having faith doesn’t mean we blindly follow a chosen path without question. Instead, faith encourages us to open our hearts to God’s great commandment to love one another. When people run toward danger to help others instead away from it, when communities come together to rebuild after a disaster or attack, we see our faith –  the “evidence of things not seen,”-  reflected in  each other.  We must not let darkness turn our hearts away from God’s glory and His great message for us.  Instead of reacting in fear or with hate,  we must react with love , empathy and compassion.  We must stand strong in our faith by becoming God’s light in the world.  If we do, we can be assured that our final reward will be greater than we can ever imagine.