How exactly do you define Faith?
Webster’s dictionary defines Faith as: “a firm belief in something for which there is no proof,” “complete trust,” or “something believed with strong conviction.”
Infants have Faith their parents will care for them and provide their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. This Faith is out of necessity, not a conscious decision on their part.
As they grow, they learn basic life skills to the level they are taught. With good parenting they are taught to take care of their basic needs, feed themselves, get dressed, share with others, and treat one another with respect. They get to have new and exciting experiences as they learn to walk, run, and interact with others.
Babies and children have “complete trust” the environment they grow up in is properly shaping their beliefs, the foundation of their Faith. What they believe is a result of what they have been taught, intentionally or unintentionally.
The environment they are raised in shapes their beliefs through their experiences because they have not learned to think and reason.
As the mind develops physically, beliefs begin to guide life decisions about what is important in life, how one should provide for their needs, and use their time each day. Many decisions are greatly influenced by our goals and aspirations, what we hope for, and believe about how the world works.
As children develop, beliefs and hopes are increasingly a product of their Faith, with strong convictions arising from their worldview, which is greatly created by the environment they are raised in.
What does it mean to live by Faith?
So much of daily life is filled with the here and now. What needs to be done today? Cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping, exercising, taking care of children, earning a living, preparing for one’s future.
As we grow and mature Faith begins to look to the future and can include an eternal perspective.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) describes Faith as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The rest of the chapter highlights examples from long ago of people who lived with eternity in mind as they dealt with their present circumstances.
This verse, along with Webster’s definition of Faith, indicates Faith is shaped by something more than life experiences. It is shaped by what we place our “complete confidence” in to mold our beliefs and guide decisions in life of how we should now live.
God blessed me to grow up in a home which provided well for my needs, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. An environment where my Faith in my parents easily transitioned to a Faith in a loving and caring God, Whose guidance continues to shape my beliefs. Faith greatly influences what I believe (hope for) based on my worldview instead of life experiences.
As I continue to age, I am firm in my beliefs, convictions, and hopes into eternity. My worldview is firmly established on information I have read and studied.
This Faith gives me a very positive optimistic perspective about life on earth as I prepare for an eternity in heaven. It gives me joy and peace here and now, regardless of the challenges before me today.
I wish there was a way to prove to others this Faith is real and possible for them to experience the same joy and peace in their life.
But then it would no longer be Faith.
