Have a Little Faith

C.S. Lewis wrote that "faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods.  For moods will change whatever view your reason takes...that is why faith is such an important virtue."  Have you ever met someone who is so educated, wealthy, or gifted that they think they are above placing faith in God?  I find this ironic because when it comes down to it, even an atheist must have faith in something.  The problem is that they mistake their emotions and changing moods for reasonable thought.  They are the makers of their own destiny and no one deserves any credit for their achievements accept for the person looking back at them in the mirror.  All I can say is that they are setting themselves up for a pretty big fall because if they deserve all the credit for their accomplishments, then they are also left all alone to deal with their immense failures that will inevitably occur.  I have failed at many things and my faith in God made me realize that it was always for a specific reason.  Whether it was to make me stronger for success at a later time or to gain perspective on life, God has always given me strength.  Failure creates “changing moods” and we need to hang on to our reasoning which has accepted that God is real.  “Reasoning” God’s existence can be a lengthy process for some and an immediate acceptance for others, but it is the end result that matters the most.  

God has blessed me immensely.  I hate to quote a Garth Brooks song, but I do thank God for unanswered prayers.  I have an amazing wife and three beautiful children and it never would have happened if it was up to me.  In order for me to meet Leigh, I had to go through several defining moments in my life that seemed to be huge failures each time.  Let me put it this way…they were failures, but God still turned them into eventual blessings.  After looking back at all the disappointments and how the stars had to align just right for me to end up with the life I have today, it would be irrational to think everything was just a coincidence.  Anyone who thinks that he got where he is today on his own accord is giving himself way too much credit.  People may ask, "what about the poor homeless guy holding a sign that says 'Give me money because I'm too lazy to earn money in a job that I don't like, so I'm going to beg for money instead.'" (That's a long sign!!)  In life, there is faith and there is temptation...and we have the God given free will to pursue either one and even both of them if we so choose.  However, consistently giving in to temptation will eventually overshadow your faith and before you know it, your free will has led you to an unfortunate place that was your choice when it comes down to it.  The homeless man begging on the side of the road (many of which are not actually homeless) has made several choices in his past that eventually led to his current state.  The Good News is that with faith in God, it is never too late to recover no matter how bad your situation may seem.  A little faith will go a long way.