Faith is a Journey

As part of being an Adult-in-Training, I believe that we all deal with the question of spirituality/faith/religion on our respective paths toward being full-fledged grown folk. We run the gambit from being staunch atheists to being so “saved” that we must pray over using a “Dirt Devil” vacuum cleaner! No matter where you are on this continuum, exploring or evangelizing, seeking or sanctified, I think that it is important to remember that faith is a journey. Often, the trappings and ceremonies of religion can be an obstacle we must get around in order to reach our final destination.

I personally have always believed in God, but it was not until about four years ago did I begin to actively/consciously attempt to learn about Him and read His Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (“B.I.B.L.E”. – by GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan). In 2009, I can claim a stronger belief in God, increased faith, and feeling a genuine pull to improve myself and uplift those around me in the “love thy neighbor” kinda way. Nevertheless, reaching where I am today has not been easy, and I still face some challenges/questions concerning the growth of my personal faith.

Those of you who know me well, know that I’ve been through a few things in the past three years. My wife and I have most definitely been through some things during that time. In my 26 years on this planet, the last few have by far been the most difficult, though at the same time some truly great things have happened. Now, this is not to ask for sympathy or condolences, but to say to you and even to remind myself that, I AM STILL HERE!

Those situations were neither the end of the world nor the end of me. I got through them, learned from them (some lessons stuck better than others), and for the most part, I can confidently say that I am a better person for having gone through those situations. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, I think we can all agree that life’s struggles tend to build character. Some say not to trust anybody who’s never had to struggle. For me, being able to believe in something bigger than myself was a major factor in weathering life’s inevitable storms. I have also been working to break out of the finite thinking, which a lot of us can get trapped in – not allowing ourselves to see beyond the problems staring us in the face. The bigger picture is always so much more revealing…

I read a great devotional on the In Touch Ministries website this morning called, Preparation for Greater Service, which inspired this post. The main takeaways for me were as follows:

-God takes whatever faith we bring to the table and helps us grow it.
-He knows which faith challenges to present to us so that we can learn and build our faith for future use (for us and others).
-If we begin to look at each difficulty as an opportunity designed by God specifically for the purpose of increasing our faith, this will help us see beyond the current drama enabling us to look positively toward the future.

Now I can sit here and wax lyrical until I’m blue in the face, but we all know that facing life’s challenges can be excruciatingly difficult. Hindsight is always 20/20, but what I’m trying to learn is to develop better vision while facing a problem so that I can get the most out of the opportunity. I’m trying to get to the point where I don’t even blink, and can stare difficulties in the face with faith corrected vision.

I have to keep on reminding myself though, faith is a journey, and I’m confident that one day, I will reach my destination…

Adults-in-Training where are you in your spiritual/faith/religious walk? How do you feel about going through this process and where it is leading? How has facing life’s problems grown and/or changed your life?

Peace,
A-i-T