To me, faith is a daily principle. It's not just what I believe, but it's the force that drives me to action. In the morning, the wee morning hours when the sun is yet to shine its face on sunny Southern California, it is my faith that the sun will rise which drives me from my warm bed and sweet wife to go to work. I also find faith defining my identity as a human being and member of society. Consequently, the more firmly I grasp my own understanding of faith, the more I learn about myself. I feel less threatened by beliefs and lifestyles with which I do not agree, or which do not agree with me, but I feel strengthened in the diversity of it. Authors have taken the principle of Faith and packaged it, labeled it and published it in self-help books, business strategy manuals and even dieting books, but it all boils down to the power of hoping for something that is not seen but is true. It is not magic, nor is it some great secret that has been unearthed by 21st century science. It's as simple as planting a seed and watching it grow into a tree.
Alma defined faith as a hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Alma 32:21). Paul refers to it as the actual substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). These two definitions of the first principle of the Gospel differ in several ways, thus giving us a broader understanding of the principle. We all pass through experiences which shape our lives in different ways, so our definitions of faith will vary. And that is a wonderful thing.
One of the beauties of the Gospel is that faith is not a stagnant principle, tied down to a definition based on tradition or customs (it shouldn't be, at least). Rather, as each individual exercises and experiences faith on a personal basis, our collective understanding of faith grows. That is, if those individuals share the things which they have learned pertaining to faith.
Many blogs are devoted to only one person's view or musings of the Church. This blog is open to all who are interested in defining faith as a Latter-day Saint. Please feel free to comment to the posts here and contribute to this community of faith. If you would like to become an author on this blog, please click here.
2.17.2008
What is Faith to Me
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