strength of Faith

The message this Sunday was on whether the reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ, is real because we believe in it, or is it that we believe in it because it is real. This is an interesting and at times confusing question, but I believe in it because it is real, for me being a Christian is real, the path I follow, while others may not see it, to me is very real, as real as the street i live on and the highways I drive. My faith is a real and living thing because my God is a real and living Being, I am a real Christian, and here is what some of the Pastor said that really stuck and made me want to write my thoughts.

Religion is but myth and superstition, it hardens hearts and enslaves minds(this is from a placard posted by the Freedom from Religion group). I have to completely disagree, I am more open and more aware, to me being a faithful Christian means that I not only see injustice, suffering and heartache, but that I do something to alleviate it. I do not just give a simple hand out, I empathize with the sufferer, I feel another's heartache, I do something to right the wrongs of others. Jesus walked among the sick, the maimed, the wretched and shared his love and compassion with them, I try to do the same. I have never felt more open minded and intelligent of what I believe as I have in the past year, my mind is being filled with understanding of the Bible and its teachings every week. I am learning for the first time what my heart and spirit have always known, and it is amazing to me, and incredibly humbling.

Others say that religion and faith are a weak crutch, we are weak to need a God... I say that Faith, true Faith takes a resolve and strength like non other. It is a hard road to follow your faith, to keep believing when the bad things come, as they always do, and to know that these are merely a test of your faith and belief in God and His mighty power. True faith is hard because the world scorns it, it cannot be summed up, contained, equated, measured, or tested by natural means, but it gives the believer incredible strength and fortitude, solace and peace.

My faith and that of Jon's has been tested in the past few years, and we have found that the more faithful we are, the more grace we are given. We still have a long way to go, but I know that our faithfulness will lead us to the place that God wants us to be, and our purpose will be there, along that road..May God bless you all in the New Year, as he has blessed me with my wonderful family, fantastic friends, amazing job, and a God that knows all of me and still loves me, life is great...