The "F" Word.

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens."
- JRR Tolkien

A new day, a new problem, a new sickness, a new bill. Another day without enough money. Another day of being alone. A new day to consider ending it all. A new day of hope. A new day to feel God moving in your life. A new day to love your family and friends. A new day of life.

We lay down in our beds, on our couches, in our recliners, or even on the floor and fall asleep. Most people have already planned the next day out before they even fall asleep. Why? We are not promised tomorrow. It's a little thing called FAITH. Yes I said the "F" word. I said FAITH. We wake up and climb out of bed and our thoughts are all different, but most wish for just a few more minutes of sleep. Our first thoughts in the morning should be "Thank you God for allowing me to wake up today. Thank you for another day to feel your hands moving in my life." I am talking to myself as much as you reading this. I am in know way perfect. I wake up and my first thoughts are usually "Ugh...I need more sleep."

By FAITH we plan tomorrow. By FAITH we tell our loved ones "I'll see you later." By FAITH we get into our cars, or in my case walk downstairs, to go to work. By FAITH we believe that there is even a God.

I know that most of us have a personal relationship with God, but some people out there believe that we are just delusional. That we have fooled our selves into believing that God is in control of our lives. Those are the people that I feel JRR Tolkien was talking to when he said the quote above.

We all have had those dark times in our lives, but it is our FAITH that has brought us through. As Pastor David Cook from International Bible Church in San Antonio once said "Don't doubt in the dark what the Lord tells you in the light." We go to church and our pastors teach us what we need to know, but during those dark times we tend to forget. Yet there are times that we remember what we have been tought and by FAITH we believe that everything is going to work out.

Do we as people have the FAITH that is needed to beliveve that God is going to keep us protected on our way to work? Do we have the FAITH to believe that God knows what he is doing when a family member passes away? That last one has hit a nerve with several of us recently.

We have lost some wonderful people at my church in the past 3 months. It has been very hard for even myself. Some of my friends have lost fathers and grandfathers and we all have lost a friend. It's tough, but do we have the FAITH to carry on and remember thier lives and honor them. Yet more importantly do we have the FAITH to believe that God knows what he is doing?

FAITH is a hard, but simple thing. We just have to believe and put our trust in the Lord. It's a hard thing to put your beliefs in someone that you might not have ever seen or heard, but thats why it's called FAITH. You have to let go and let God. It's a simple as going to sleep expecting to wake up in the morning.

As an interesting fact the word FAITH is in the NKJV bible 250 times. I think that means that it is important to have it. Remember that it's by FAITH we are healed and by FAITH we plan tomorrow. May God bless you all in your daily activities. In the words of Rev. Run "God is love." Have a wonderful day.