Sisters and brothers, these are among the convictions that we harbor and herald:
Faith is not belief in spite of the evidence. Faith is life lived in scorn of the consequences.*
Faith isn’t a set of doctrines you agree to; or a set of religious habits you keep; or a particular emotion you feel.
Faith is trust that ushers us into a new way of living.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen.**
Faith is being joyful, though you’ve considered all the facts.***
Fear—not doubt—is the opposite of faith.
Faith is contagious. We catch it by surrounding ourselves with a cloud of witnesses, with the stories of faithful people, both from distant memory and direct experience.
Inoculate yourselves with stories of faith to ward off the fearmonger’s siege!
So let us persevere in the pace we have kept, laying aside every fear, looking to our Pioneer, who for the joy set before him disregarded all shame, that every lame and languishing name be ransomed and reclaimed from death’s grievous and groanful domain.
©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Inspired by **Hebrews 11:1-12:3, using lines from *Clarence Jordan and ***Wendell Berry.