How firm is your Faith?

There are times in our life when our faith and trust in God is tested. Here’s a story by Joy in the book, “Living Water 2012”:

“Many years ago, my husband and I experienced difficulty in paying our bills, even the tuition fees of our children. I got so frustrated that my trust in God faded away. But when I repented and learned to put my trust in Him again, He gave everything that we needed. I knew His goodness would last forever.

“Trust is a choice. Fear tells us to distrust God and trust our own assumptions, which are based on limited evidence. Fear is a feeling, but trust is a decision. God eagerly helps us to make that decision. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, He gives us divine evidence that contradicts any discouraging evidence.  So when you are in need, just come before Him. As Philippians 4:19 says, ‘God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’

“How can our faith remain steady when we allow circumstances in our lives to take our eyes off  from Jesus? We have to focus on Him so we will not be weak, vulnerable and easily dazed by the struggles we face.”

I am reminded of a story about a man who fell on the ravine while walking in the mountain, but was lucky to grab the big branch of a tree. He then shouted, “Lord help me! Don’t let me fall!”

 God replied, “Let go. Release you hold of the branch.”

The man shouted back, “What? Why should I?!”

How can we bolster our faith?  Fr. Ed Broom, OMV of the Catholic Exchange website  suggests the following ways:

• Prayer. Every time we pray, we are growing in our faith. Actually, prayer is an act of faith. Because we are praying to God whom we do not see. Therefore, let us make a strong decision and a concerted effort to strive to grow in prayer every day.

• Solid spiritual reading. Why not decide to bolster your faith on a daily basis by applying yourselves to good spiritual reading?  You might even start to read the lives of the saints: they indeed were the heroes of God, men and women of extraordinary faith.

• Accept trials. When God sends you some trial or tribulation why not accept it?  God actually sends you trials to strengthen your faith.

• Eucharist: the Bread of Life.  It must be said that frequent and worthy, as well as fervent reception of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, is by far one of the most powerful means to grow in our faith. “As the deer yearns for running water, so my soul yearns for you my God.” (Psalm 42: 1)  May the words of the Psalmist motivate us to grow in faith, by growing in faith and hunger for the Eucharist.

• Share your faith with others. It is interesting to note that when we share material things, we end up with greater poverty. Not so with spiritual gifts and treasures. The more we give and share our faith with others, the more we enrich our own faith.