Webster’s dictionary defines faith as complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
Some people are dying because of their faith, such as, in the Middle East. Countless are being tortured for their belief in God. While others are severely criticized for showing any signs of their faith, for instance, the football player Tim Tebow. He prayed before, during, and after his games and the media was unmerciful toward him and his actions. One important fact that the media left out was his tireless charity work helping orphans, sick children, and the homeless.
When I was growing up, I had many heroes much like any normal child. One of my heroes was Rod …show more content…
Our visits usually last about an hour. The visit usually starts with her saying, “There’s my deacon friend!” I always say that I am not there just yet. She always replies with, “You will be, just have faith.” It was very apparent to me that her faith was very strong. I finally asked her what made her faith so strong. She gave a very simple, but impactful answer. She said, “I have a God that loves me unconditionally, My God has given me a roof over my head, food to eat, and people like you to see me when I get lonely and He has allowed me 93 years on this Earth. He only asks for my faith in return. I say it is a pretty fair trade.” I really never thought of having faith in this context before. But, it made perfect …show more content…
I have found these past two weeks seeing my friend in the nursing home has been a total joy. I went from being anxious about saying the “right” thing to knowing that God has allowed me to be there for her in her time of need. Spiritually, hearing all the stories of faith has been totally reinvigorating for me. I can see God in people’s faces and this has drawn me even closer to Him. Being part of formation has also helped my family also. My three sons heard my wife and me talking about how lonely my friend was. Luke, my youngest son says, “Do you think she would like a Valentine’s Day card from us?” The three of them drew up cards for her. I handed them to her and the look on her face was of sheer happiness. As I work more with others, I find it is the little things you do, such as a card on Valentine’s Day, which mean the most. I also find many of my experiences now very humbling. I am always amazed how people handle adversity and turn into a positive for others. But, one very important thing that I have found is that I can be myself. I don’t have the feeling that I have to impress everyone anymore. For the first time in my life, I can just be Larry and it feels really good to do that. In my opinion, I feel more genuine with myself and this allows me to be more genuine with others which can only help me in the