OPINION: The question of faith

Alexis Wohler

All of us have days where we feel guilt, shame or hurt. On those types of days when our emotions run high, we may not be sure where or whom to turn to. The answer could be faith.

Have you ever wondered what faith means? Faith can be a subject that is sometimes hard for people to discuss, but it can also be a very interesting thing. It is often categorized as believing in something that you can’t see or believing that anything is possible. Faith is also described as believing in a higher power.

Dictionary.com defines faith as “confidence or trust in a person or thing,” such as “faith in another’s ability.”

Many people often say, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That’s a question that can best be answered if we examine our own lives on how happy or content we are with everything — whether it is our financial situation, family, work or just our overall happiness about life in general.

Those who believe in God as a higher power may seem to have more peace in their lives. Even throughout their troubles, they seem to have trust in themselves and have a deeper sense of peace.

Many people have learned to trust God and know that He will walk with them and help them through their struggles. It isn’t always easy trusting in something or someone you can’t see, though.

He is always there for people who call on Him and believe with their full heart that He saved them by dying on the cross for their sins. That may be difficult for some people to believe, but once you feel that type of peace, it can change your whole perspective on faith and change your perspective about life forever.

“When Scripture talks about the heart, it’s not talking about that life-sustaining muscle,” said TV Evangelist Billy Graham. “It’s talking about our entire inner being. The heart is the seat of our emotions, the seat of decisive action and the seat of belief (as well as doubt).”

Many people ask, “How does one deal with the guilt and shame from their past?” Or people may ask, “How do we deal with the fear in ourselves on a daily basis?”

It can be as simple as finding someone to talk to such as a close friend or a family member and explaining how you feel about anything and everything.

Faith can be as simple as believing in that close friend or family member when they listen to you explain how you feel. Faith can even be as simple as going to the grocery store and buying a can of beans and trusting that when you get home there will be beans in the can. It takes a lot of courage and willpower to build up the faith that people have, but never give up on the courage and faith you have inside of you, whether it’s trusting a friend, a family member or a higher power.

Alexis Wohler is a junior journalism major. Contact her at [email protected].