how do you hold on to faith?

[Anonymous]

Everything in my life has been in a downward spiral for the past two years. Finances shrinking, my special needs child regressing, difficult patch in our marriage as DH goes through his own personal crisis, sibling getting cancer, just everything going bad.

I've always been good and walked the straight and narrow road. Always honest, always trying hard to be kind even when I don't want to be, always trying not to wish ill on those who hurt me, always acting ethically.

This is not actually a thread about my personal situation though. Curious to hear from people who held on to their faith when life was proving them wrong about having faith in the first place. Like every signal you get is that there is no hope, no justice, nothing watching over you.

[Anonymous]

As my favorite poet, Rabindranath Tagore, said: “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

[Anonymous]

That is exactly when I have to remind myself that I am not alone and "this too shall pass." We all go through dark times but you are stronger than you think and when you're feeling the smallest give yourself space to pity yourself, feel scared and even angry and then tell yourself it's time to keep living. Ask for the strength to get through one day being Mom, ask for love to get through one day being your own caregiver, ask for charity to get through one day showing kindness toward someone in the world.

You still have faith, and little by little you will climb up and out of this bad place. I'm saying a prayer for you and your family.

[Anonymous]

There is no place else to go. God promises heaven... Not heaven on earth .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no place else to go. God promises heaven... Not heaven on earth .

So are you saying God doesn't help people on earth? only after they are dead? and that you won't get to heaven if you don't believe in god while you're alive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As my favorite poet, Rabindranath Tagore, said: “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

Beautiful quotation - are you Bengali?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything in my life has been in a downward spiral for the past two years. Finances shrinking, my special needs child regressing, difficult patch in our marriage as DH goes through his own personal crisis, sibling getting cancer, just everything going bad.

I've always been good and walked the straight and narrow road. Always honest, always trying hard to be kind even when I don't want to be, always trying not to wish ill on those who hurt me, always acting ethically.

This is not actually a thread about my personal situation though. Curious to hear from people who held on to their faith when life was proving them wrong about having faith in the first place. Like every signal you get is that there is no hope, no justice, nothing watching over you.

Perhaps it would help if you thought of God as a loyal friend who can't control external circumstances, but who is always there to give you personal comfort and will help give you strength when you need it the most.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure if you are Christian, so perhaps this won't help if you are not, but here goes.

I can't understand why horrible things happen either, but I do feel the presence of Christ in the midst of tragedy. Why are poor, hard-working people buried in rubble in Nepal? Why does a 42 year old woman die from fast acting liver cancer - 10 days from diagnosis to death (a situation in my circle of friends)? I don't get it, but God so loved us that he adopted a human form and suffered with us. He understands and will meet us in whatever our circumstances are. We are promised his help, not that life will be easy. Talk about unfair - think about his mother Mary - she was a good girl and all of a sudden she was pregnant and had to bear the scorn of a society where that was totally not acceptable. Joseph - instead of backing out of the engagement - stuck with her also incurring scorn in a deeply patriarchal society. Jesus was born into poverty and was an exile. As an adult, he was homeless. Etc. Etc.

I was sexually abused as a child - why did that happen? - I don't know, but I do think the struggle to forgive and move on with my life has given me a depth of spirituality that is a great gift to me.

I read this quotation this morning and it meant a lot to me in my circumstances. It is from an interview of an Orthodox priest, Father Braga, who was imprisoned in communist Romania:

The interviewer asked Fr. Roman whether he was able to forgive his torturers.

“Those who suffer much, forgive,” he said.
“Those who do not forgive become victims.
I embraced my torturers, once I saw that they were controlled by the devil.
The devil is real, not a bedtime story.”

(interview by Kh. Frederica Matthewes-Green)

Prayers for you in your struggle!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure if you are Christian, so perhaps this won't help if you are not, but here goes.

I can't understand why horrible things happen either, but I do feel the presence of Christ in the midst of tragedy. Why are poor, hard-working people buried in rubble in Nepal? Why does a 42 year old woman die from fast acting liver cancer - 10 days from diagnosis to death (a situation in my circle of friends)? I don't get it, but God so loved us that he adopted a human form and suffered with us. He understands and will meet us in whatever our circumstances are. We are promised his help, not that life will be easy. Talk about unfair - think about his mother Mary - she was a good girl and all of a sudden she was pregnant and had to bear the scorn of a society where that was totally not acceptable. Joseph - instead of backing out of the engagement - stuck with her also incurring scorn in a deeply patriarchal society. Jesus was born into poverty and was an exile. As an adult, he was homeless. Etc. Etc.

I was sexually abused as a child - why did that happen? - I don't know, but I do think the struggle to forgive and move on with my life has given me a depth of spirituality that is a great gift to me.

I read this quotation this morning and it meant a lot to me in my circumstances. It is from an interview of an Orthodox priest, Father Braga, who was imprisoned in communist Romania:

The interviewer asked Fr. Roman whether he was able to forgive his torturers.

“Those who suffer much, forgive,” he said.
“Those who do not forgive become victims.
I embraced my torturers, once I saw that they were controlled by the devil.
The devil is real, not a bedtime story.”

(interview by Kh. Frederica Matthewes-Green)

Prayers for you in your struggle!

pp -- has it helped you to think of your abuser as being sent by the devil?

[Anonymous]

I don't think any person is sent by the devil, but I think all of us (no matter how saintly) are tempted by evil. I think taking evil seriously helps to understand the human condition. I think it helped Father Roman (Roman Braga) to see his tormenters as human beings (same as he was) who had allowed the devil to gain control of their lives - in return for what the communist state had to offer, they did evil for the communist state (and indirectly for the devil). We can all see this phenomenon in our lives in big ways and small - everything from murder to refusing to befriend overweight people. From a Christian perspective, we have the consolation that even Jesus was tempted by evil (his forty days in the desert prior to his death).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think any person is sent by the devil, but I think all of us (no matter how saintly) are tempted by evil. I think taking evil seriously helps to understand the human condition. I think it helped Father Roman (Roman Braga) to see his tormenters as human beings (same as he was) who had allowed the devil to gain control of their lives - in return for what the communist state had to offer, they did evil for the communist state (and indirectly for the devil). We can all see this phenomenon in our lives in big ways and small - everything from murder to refusing to befriend overweight people. From a Christian perspective, we have the consolation that even Jesus was tempted by evil (his forty days in the desert prior to his death).

So do you think of the devil as a metaphor for evil or do you believe in the devil as an actual evil being -- who is the opposite of God, a benign being.

[Anonymous]

My faith is strongest in my darkest hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My faith is strongest in my darkest hours.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think any person is sent by the devil, but I think all of us (no matter how saintly) are tempted by evil. I think taking evil seriously helps to understand the human condition. I think it helped Father Roman (Roman Braga) to see his tormenters as human beings (same as he was) who had allowed the devil to gain control of their lives - in return for what the communist state had to offer, they did evil for the communist state (and indirectly for the devil). We can all see this phenomenon in our lives in big ways and small - everything from murder to refusing to befriend overweight people. From a Christian perspective, we have the consolation that even Jesus was tempted by evil (his forty days in the desert prior to his death).

Just to be clear, Jesus's temptation in the desert did not immediately precede His death. It preceded his earthly ministry as the Messiah. Check out Matthew 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My faith is strongest in my darkest hours.

Why?

I always think of the footprints poem and know that God isn't abandoning me. I've been through some very bad things but I credit my faith with sustaining me and keeping me from being suicidal.