What is Faith?

What would you say if someone asked you what faith is? In Hebrews 11, Paul defined faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

The assurance of things hoped for - faith is knowing that because of Jesus Christ, we can hope for a brighter future. I feel as if hope and faith are one and the same. Life can be heartbreakingly difficult sometimes and even though I know that challenges are there to help us learn and grow, I sure wish I didn't have to go through those hard times. When I have felt surrounded by struggles and I couldn't see any way that things would ever get better, the only thing that has kept me moving forward is hope. Not the kind of hope that is sort of wishful like hoping your team wins a World Cup game, but hope that is sure because it is based on Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ is having hope and knowing that His promises are sure. 

The evidence of things not seen - faith in God grows when we see Him working in our lives. In those moments when it is hard to have hope because it seems as if nothing is going the way you'd like, look for God's hand in your life. I love the word evidence. It sounds like part of faith is like being a detective looking for clues. In 2015, I went to Time Out for Women in Richmond, VA and one of the speakers said that when we couldn't see God's hand in our lives we should trust His heart look for His fingerprints.  One of my all time favorite General Conference talks was from President Eyring in October 2007. President Eyring talked about his habit of keeping a journal each day where he records the ways he sees God's hand touching his family. It will get easier and easier to see Him working in our lives as we practice. It wll go from feeling like we're dusting for prints and looking for clues to easily seeing His blessings.

President Nelson has asked us to do the work to increase our faith. In April 2021 he said "My call to you today is to start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountain in your life, even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest." Have hope and find evidence. God loves us and is blessing us every day. 

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