What do we really have without faith, a gift that allows us to continue to hope, though we do not ‘yet’ see, what we think we must have. Every gift is intended to be unwrapped and perhaps we need to experience faith further, so it will deepen. Many a time, when God did not answer my prayers the way I thought they ‘should’ be, faith sustained me, awakening me to the realization that God can see the ‘entire’ picture, while I can’t. Faith shows us that truly, God knows what is best in each situation.
When our loved ones have a chronic or serious illness, caretaking can become quite intense. Faith helps us recognize “we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength.” (Philippians 4:13) This doesn’t mean we can do it all, because as a human being, we are limited. Constant prayer and discernment to what God actually ‘calls’ us to do, within our capabilities, is very necessary.
Sadly, there often comes a time when our loved one needs nursing care around the clock and it becomes impossible to handle caretaking on our own. This journey of faith includes many mixed feelings, with few easy answers. Daily we rely on faith and the grace God provides each day.
Can we lose faith? Suffering is not new to any of us. Difficulties and hardships can tarnish our belief and cause us to doubt. Who of us, hasn’t had moments like this? Doubt indicates there is ‘some’ faith. I am comforted by the Scripture story in the Gospel of Mark 9:22-24 - The father seeks healing for his son who has a demon that tries to kill him and asks Jesus, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus replies, “If you can! Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” I’m grateful our gracious God encourages and blesses us with faith, knowing though we have time of doubt, we are keeping our eyes on God and trusting as we can.
We welcome your comments. Can anyone identify with what I’ve written or be willing to share your own faith story with our forum?