Faith...30 Years Later?

As I was going through old photos I ran into this photo of me in 1979. Maybe it’s because I was reading some blogs this morning, of 20-something girls looking at life, but I was taken back to this day and my life. I was 21 years old and on a picnic with my husband and baby boy. I was a few months away from giving birth to my second son. Life was so different then, no internet, no cell phones, no digital anything, cable TV was in it’s infancy (it was 1984 before we could afford it), etc.

Back then I pretty much ran on faith. Faith that if I did what I thought was right everything would be fine. Faith that most of the world tried to do what was right and best for those they loved.

Thirty years later, one divorce, a second marriage, three sons, eight step-children, 16 grandchildren, technology and information readily available 24/7, health issues, the list could go on forever. Who have I become and do I still have faith in human nature?

I’ve seen so much crime, destruction, violence, betrayal, divorce, war. How could I have faith when I’ve seen so much in my personal life and even worse on the news (which I don’t watch hardly ever anymore). How could I teach my children about faith when they have grown up surrounded by people who would hurt them or take advantage of them so easily?

I don’t know all of the answers but yes I do still run on faith and hope for the future. I’ve taught my children to have faith in God, to trust in those of us who love them. Over the years I’ve learned to be wary of who I trust but to give myself completely to those that I love. As I’ve watched my children and grandchildren grow and mature I’ve wondered what life would be like if we didn’t have faith and hope for the future.

The answer that I’ve come up with is that I wouldn’t want to live without faith because it gives us hope and with hope comes growth. If we didn’t have hope in the future why even try? Some people have called me naive but I have chosen to look forward to the future and enjoy my life and loved ones. Sometimes I leave myself vulnerable and get hurt but I would rather try for a better future than hide from the joy of living.

As we see natural and man-made disasters play out there is always a group of people who have survived, who have put their lives in jeopardy to help others and to give up luxuries to make sure that others have necessities. This always makes me emotional because it tells me that I’m not alone.