When I Cannot See

"For we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Cor. 5:7. 

Yes, this verse...it greets me every morning and stays with me till evening when my head hits the pillow and I fall asleep praying, questioning, begging, or just hoping and trusting because I don't know what to ask or say.

We've all heard the saying, "Life isn't easy." Sometimes those words reign truer than at other times. Sometimes the pain we feel and the pain around us just seem like it will just swallow us up. Just look at the headlines or the pain in your community or maybe even the pain in your own family. We don't have to look far to find injustice, pain, fear, and hurt. Sometimes it just seems to be everywhere.

What is the answer? Where do we find hope when life is falling apart around us? The answer for me is Faith. The definition of faith is "complete trust or confidence in someone or something. There are times in my life where I have put faith in different things. We put faith in doctors, leaders, friends, pastors, counselors, family, and many other people and things. Here is the thing, all these people and things will eventually let you down and honestly were not meant to carry the weight of being the object of our faith. Yes, we find encouragement and strength from these sources and we definitely have need of them in our lives. But, they cannot answer all our questions or give us the strength to get through the trials we face. Faith that gets us through trials and difficult circumstances is faith in a higher power. Faith in the Creator of the universe. Faith in the One who loves us so much that He gave His life for us. 

I don't understand everything that happens. I don't understand why so much pain and hurt has to visit, and yes, I do mouth the words, "Why God?" more times than I would like you to know. However, in the end, my faith rests in the promises of God- that He loves me, the He cares for me or whoever the person is going through that trial or loss, that He is for me, that He will work all things together for good even when it doesn't feel good, that He is working for a greater purpose than my feeble mind can see. That is what gets me through and allows me to do what I call my family's motto given to us by my mother's dear friend Jill, "Do the next right thing."

Whatever you may be going through- a health crisis, a family crisis, anxiety and stress related to the changes and fears around us these days, racial hurts, depressions, loss, and the list continues, I encourage you to have faith even when your eyes cannot see, and trust God to open your eyes to the good that is happening around you. I can promise in what may be really really bad, there is something good. So trust and look for those prayer warriors surrounding you, those offering physical support and help, the beauty of a flower, the call or text of a friend, the love of a stranger regardless of the color of your skin, a deep breath, a kind touch...It doesn't take away the pain or the hurt or the loss, but it does help us walk through the trial where we will be stronger on the other side even though now we just cannot see.