Posted by rayww on October 30, 2004, at 2:58:42
In reply to About faith...., posted by 64bowtie on October 29, 2004, at 1:42:41
Rod what I think you are saying is faith that isn't centered in God is faithism. I know faith is not an emotion or a passion, but let me try to describe how I feel when I think of faith. If my description becomes a tad abstract, please know it is because it just isn't easy to define.
Sacred. Personal to me. Private, too special to offend. Please don't insult or discredit, have seen too much evidence of it to ever doubt the reality of faith, My mother has been an example of faith to me all of my life. beset with physical handicaps, I have personally witnessed her lean on faith when she had no more strength, and then been part of her miracle as I witnessed God caring for her in his own way. When my brother nearly died I wintessed her faith. when my father died at a very young age it was the most difficult journey for her. the feeling I have when I think of my mother is similar to the feeling I have when I think of god and of faith, they go together. It's a reverent, head bowed, drop to my knees, tears well up in my eyes, sad for all the pain of life, but happy for the rich abundance of peace that comes in the midst of it all. It's a deep love and reverence for God. almost a coiling up of my soul because of the intensity of the feeling. Overflowing with tenderness and compassion, I have watched my mother live by faith and succeed in bringing love and kindness to everyone she knows. In spite of her physical disabilities, she is always busy, and many who do not have another good friend are her best. it's like my soul, my heart, my chest wells up in tears and weeps out of passion for my savior, my god, my dad, and my mother. How does one describe the passion of the Christ, or how passionate you are about faith? You can't put it into words, so we babble over definitions and see what the scriptures have to say about it, but do we really try to capture what *we* have to say about it? How can I (we) describe the feeling we get when we think of faith? It's just a powerful thing in our life and we know faith when we watch someone who activates it in every step of her life. Without faltering. man, there is no one who could convince me that faith does not exist. I have seen too much of it to ever be a betrayer.
I honestly do not know how to describe it with words, because its definition can only be felt and absorbed, illuminated, shared. Maybe faith is only defined by the lives we touch. It's used to bless the lives of other people, and glorify God. to glorify God means to add to his glory, and when we add to His glory, he shares the shine with us. Radiate. countenance. beam, eye of purity, a never ending story. soft pillows to land on when we fall, the most sacred of feelings because no one knows how another regards faith. everyone has faith, even if they do not know it yet. you can't live without it. it would be impossible to live without faith. can you even imagine it? yikes.
poster:rayww
thread:408646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040914/msgs/409012.html