Faith

 Faith. 

There is no hope without faith. Without faith, hope is simply a list of wishes and dreams.

I hope that friend or family member who is sick will get well.

I wish a vaccination for covid-19 would be successful.

I hope people will be more kind once this election is over.

I wish we could take that trip we've been dreaming about.

Without faith, I'm grasping at straws. Without faith, listing out all these things I hope for can just throw me into the pits of depression. Just because I live with a hopefulness that a better day will come, it may not. And then what am I stuck with? 

Faith tells me that, regardless of what happens, God is on my side. No matter what, He walks with me. He gives me the strength to get through. He supports me, and lifts me up, and helps me to see that, even though I didn't get what I wished for, I can still live with joy.

I have my uncle's funeral bulletin from many years ago, and my mom told me that this poem was also on my grandpa's folder. Faith tells us all that God has promised to us:

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through,
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised 
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love.

I fully believe that living with hope and joy means living with faith. God loves us. What could be better than that?