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That said, Fancy Simple has posted a questionnaire for today's function of faith. Below are my answers. Comments are always welcome as long as you identify who you are. (Anonymous posts will be deleted.)
What is faith?
To answer this I take from the Book of Mormon. "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Additionally I take from an old Scoutmaster of mine,"Faith without works is dead. Or Faith without works isn't Faith." I think faith is an action word and a describing word.
Who or what has most inspired your faith?
I think my mother has inspired my faith the most. My mother had a lot of struggles in life and was tried over and over again. Yes she stayed true to her faith in God. Despite all that happened to her she still always prayed and hoped that God would grant her a better day. He blessed her with small miracles over large miracles and medium size blessings over huge blessings, but she still remained faithful to God and her faith in Him all the way up to the moment she passed from our presence to His.
Which celebrity faith craze most intrigues you?
I'm not sure I ever really follow celebrity faith crazes. I try to be respectful to what people believe and I don't really notice the crazes. However, I have noticed that there is a growing religion that worships the lives of performers over the acts of performers. It used to be that we revered actors and actresses for their abilities on the stage or the silver screen. However now we tend to care less about talent and focus on lifestyle. I have a friend who comes home from work every day and turns on the TV to watch Entertainment Tonight. He is enthralled in the lives of celebrities. It is his religion and it has its own rules and its own doctrine. And each night he sits in front of the TV worshiping the lives of the celebrities. Faithfully he dives into their lives and lives through them vicariously. Instead of riding his bike or taking a college course or even volunteering at the library reading to little kids, he comes home to join the religion of living vicariously through others. Celebrity Worship is a very interesting faith craze that intrigues me. I don't understand what makes the lives of celebrities better than our own lives.
What do you do to maintain and/or grow in your faith?
I think that faith is maintained and grown by exercising faith. I have been unemployed for the last several months and largely I tried to find work on my own with out supernatural help. Then I decided to exercise faith. I prayed to God to know the direction I should take. I felt a reassurance that teaching was where I belonged. I then prayed to be helped on the tests and the applications to become a teacher in California. Over time I received that help. I know that I did well on the test not by my own doing, but because of the faith and prayers I entrusted to my God.
Who do you have faith in?
God, and everything that goes with that.
Do you pray? What do you pray about?
I pray often. I pray for health and safety for my self and my friends and family. I pray for instruction. And I pray (most often) to say my gratitude for the blessings I have been given in my life.
How do you share your faith with others?
By writing blogs.
What (or who) prevents you from being faithful?
I think my self doubts and my impatience prevent me from being faithful. There is that old adage that God's time is not our time, and God's vision is not our vision. I grow weary not knowing the end from the beginning and I grow impatient when the blessing I desire now isn't being given to me now, but is instead coming down the road. I feel like giving up sometimes when things don't go the way I think they should go. Eventually, though, I see the ways of the Lord clearer and know that the things He through in my way actually blessed me.
Do you have a faith-related pet peeve? What is it?
My only faith pet-peeve would be the one stated earlier. I have a hard time seeing why people waste their time having faith in something that doesn't make them better. Having faith in the lives of a celebrity scares me a little. Even having faith in a devil brings people to action. Faith in the vicarious lives of celebrities doesn't usually move people to action.
Sean - I really love your comment on patience. I too try to faithfully believe and act in accordance to that belief. I struggle with lack of understanding and self doubt and LOVE your description of this. I feel like you were in my brain.
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