Where is your faith?

I usually find myself painting Sunday mornings at church when I’m not helping in the nursery or Sunday School room. I am not sure if I would identify myself as an artist or a painter but it is something that I enjoy doing and it is relaxing for me.

This past week, I caught myself ignoring the sermon and letting my mind wander. Somehow, I ended up thinking about faith. Not in the God, Jesus, Allah, Yhwh, etc. sort of way but in the faith in life sort of way. We all have to have some sort of faith in the unexpected things that will happen each day.

Despite my tendency to have periods of radical doubt where I question Jesus and if I even believe in him as the son of God, I rarely question if I believe in God. I always think of God as the constant but I am starting to realize that God is not my only constant source of faith.

For example, I have faith that I will have work everyday, Monday through Friday. I don’t actually know yet that I will have work but I have faith that management won’t just close up shop in the middle of the night. I have faith that as long as I work hard, I will be employed.

I also have faith in my marriage. I have faith in my husband – that he will be a good provider and partner. I have faith that he will not cheat on me. I don’t know that he will or won’t be faithful but I will have faith until the moment one of us takes our last moments on this earth.

I have faith that the world is fundamentally good, despite some of the really messed up things that are happening right now. If I didn’t have that faith, then I wouldn’t be able to think about having kids. Because you can’t in good conscious bring new life into a place that you believe is bad or evil. And I have faith that this world can/will be made better within my lifetime.

I have faith that change will happen but it will not be permanent. I have faith that my hair will continue to grow but I do not know that it will happen until I see it grow longer. I can predict that this will happen and then I can observe when it does happen.

I have faith that I will not live forever. I have faith that I have this one life and that I cannot waste it (whether that be as a cube dweller or as a kept women). Death will not be certain until I experience it.

As people, we don’t have to believe in God or Jesus or any other spiritual path. But we do have to have faith in order to survive.

What do you have faith in? Are there areas of your life where your faith surprises you or confuses you?