Oh, Ye of Varying Degrees of Faith and Optimism

Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness. ~ Unknown

Faith is an invisible power, like love. Faith makes us tenacious. It lets us put our hope and belief into something we can't see now, knowing we will see it at some point in the future.

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. ~ St. Augustine

 You don't have to believe in God or any type of deity to practice faith, but I've noticed that most people who scorn or refute God also scoff at the concept of faith.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. ~ St. Thomas Aquinas

Others, with no religious affiliation, might consider faith to be the power of optimism or positive thinking. They may have faith in adages or universal karma or the laws of attraction.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~ Helen Keller

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. ~ Saint Augustine

However we practice faith - even if we follow the strict rules, dogma and rituals of an organized religion - we experience it individually, with varying strengths and consistencies. Faith is a personal practice, even in the midst of a crowd.

God enters by a private door into every individual. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

With faith of any kind, we can choose acceptance. We can allow ourselves to turn to those things we can change or affect instead of being consumed by distress and anxiety and despair about people and circumstances over which we have no control.

Faith is believing that the outcome will be what it should be, no matter what it is. ~ Colette Baron-Reid

As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit. ~ Emmanuel Teney

For me, faith is the basket into which I place all my eggs; the cornerstone on which I build. And even so, I sometimes find myself forgetting to have faith! I'll find myself moving backwards in fear or immobilized by doubt, instead of sitting peacefully or striding forward in faith.  

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Faith is the quiet cousin of courage. ~ Judith Hanson Lasater

Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there. ~ Author Unknown

 My faith in a power far greater than myself, or anyone or anything on this earth, brings me comfort and relief at my darkest moments. My faith doesn't expect the blind granting of wishes or the elimination of obstacles. My faith in God brings me the assurance that I was created in love and have strength and power and guidance behind me, no matter how dark my life may get. I seek God in prayer when I feel like I'm about to break, and God wraps me in His grace and fills me with His courage. 

Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys. ~ Madeleine L'Engle

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. ~ Helen Keller

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. ~ Corrie Ten Boom

 I come to God in excitement and gratefulness and He gifts me with more blessings, and the awareness of even more that I hadn't yet noticed. I only need to speak to God and He answers me. Not often in ways I'd thought I'd prefer and definitely not when I want them answered - which is generally yesterday - but in His way, which always works for the better. And sometimes, instead of changing any circumstance or outcome, I find that changes happen within myself. I grow in faith. In faith, I am better each day, despite how my life looks to others.

Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right. ~ Max Lucado

He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly. ~ B. C. Forbes

God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers. ~ A/P.J. Abdul Kalam

Faith isn't easy, but to be without it would be the hardest, worst thing I could imagine. 

Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel. ~ Author Unknown

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. ~ Saint Augustine

 I work hard in my faith; trusting and growing and enduring in ways I never thought possible, let alone necessary. But I rest in my faith, too. I am coddled in a powerful love and shored with grace beyond belief. That is what faith is to me. To live and thrive in the impossible and to enjoy the unbelievable, knowing I am powerfully loved and never truly on my own.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10

Don't mistake God's patience for His absence. His timing is perfect, and His presence is constant. He is always with you. ~ Deuteronomy 3:16 

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. ~ 2 Timothy 4:17

This beautiful song by The Fray, always, always brings me comfort and peace. Please listen. It's not a hymn, but I hear God's words in it.