What is Faith?

“There is no obstacle too great, no challenge too difficult, that we cannot meet with faith.” -Gordon B. Hinckley

Faith is not only the substance of things hoped for which are true, and not only a principle of action, but faith is also the engine behind a righteous life and the foundation on which the gospel of Jesus Christ is made the center of our individual lives. 

It undergirds repentance and motivates progress and inspires needed change. It is the wall on which the paint of testimony is applied and the nails that hold the structure of our activity together. 

Confidence

Faith is hope for the future, confidence in covenants and promises made, power in the priesthood, fruit of the Atonement, and the step in our discipleship. It is why we open scripture and bend knee and serve and bless and persevere. 

It’s the door to baptism, the hand on the iron rod, the gas that propels us to temples and activities, on missions and the magnification of our callings and ministry. It is the cause behind the purpose and meaning of our lives and the belief in our goals and in our God.

Turn to the Source

It sturdies our walk and amplifies our commitment, lights our way and turns us to Christ, the source and substance of our faith. 

Faith points us down proper paths and opens us to innumerable blessings. It restores us and improves us and saves us. It is the substance of grace and the context of salvation. It deepens love and encourages kindness and connects us to its object.

Ebb and Flow

Faith is not something you have or have not. It exists on a scale, a range, a continuum. We experience it in degrees. It can ebb and flow, in part depending on the attention we give its ingredients. As we water it, it grows. As we neglect it, it eventually recedes. 

If yours is weak, strengthen it. If it is tired or soft and empty, awaken, embolden and fill it. Make it impervious to Babylonian temptation and Rameumptom-like rigidity and the mockery of half-truths and full lies and the drooling foolishness of faithless legions trapped in tall spacious buildings of self-congratulating pride.

The word of God is its handrail. The Spirit is its source. Prayer is the ladder that reaches it. Love is the fuel that propels it. Acceptance of the messiness of life is the undergirding context that allows it.

Now is the Time

Now is the time to commit to exercising more of it. Now is the time to secure it on eternal principles. Now is the time to question our questions and doubt our doubts and firm up our faith and step forward as a disciple of our Lord, dedicated to feasting on His word, saturating our lives with prayer, taking upon us His name, and serving as He serves, thereby refurbishing and polishing the faith that propels us forward. 

This is what faith is to me. It is a life-long quest with rich rewards along the way. It is worth the journey and the effort. I invite you to begin or to continue yours. 

Your Turn!

What does faith mean to you? Please share in the comments below.

Photo by Pixaby