Live by Faith

I have to admit. I have been bogged down lately... more than lately.....

The affairs of the world do not help either. Every time you turn on the TV (which I do not have, but other places I attend do), you search the Internet, you access Facebook, etc. you hear or read of murders, riots, violence, corruption, ...

I started to be fearful of just existing. Yes, I chose the word existing because I was not living. It is no life one that is lived in fear. I so wanted to buy an island, transfer all my family there (my animals included, because they are part of my family) and forget about the rest of the world.

There are a few problems with this idea. For starters, I do not have the money to buy an island. I do not even have the money to just buy the pier to attach my boat once I reach the island! For that matter, I don't even have money for a small canoe to reach the pier at the island....Next problem is that I don't think my family would want to follow; this means that I would be there by myself with my furry friends and, as great as they are, they cannot replace human interaction... I am sure that there would be other issues I have not even began to analyze.

After I scratched off the island option, I stumbled across an article about faith: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The caption right below the title reads, "In a household of faith, there is no need to fear or doubt. Choose to live by faith and not fear."

It struck me. May be this is what I am missing: FAITH!

Oh sure, I have the basic faith I display by simply going to church, reading the scriptures, helping others, etc. etc. etc.
But true faith, the one that can move mountains...that one I have yet to develop.

Now, another thing I learned while reading the scriptures is that faith is not just believing and than sitting back... No...faith is action!
Saint Augustine said: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."

I have then decided that I need to pray for safety and protection and then I need to make sure I take the necessary steps for such safety and protection to come to pass. If I pray to be safe on the road and then I drive (or walk) like a maniac and do not pay attention to my surroundings, I am bound to get hurt, in spite of my prayer for safety.

With this in mind, I have resolved to follow St. Augustine's advice. I will then need to keep in mind that Heavenly Father knows all and I need to trust Him. What will come my way, if I do all that I am supposed to do, it will be for my benefit and He will take care of everything!

We are all given a certain amount of time here on earth. For some the time is short, too short (but I have my belief about this); for others, the time is longer. I need to make the best of the time that has been allotted to me and not worry about anything else. I do need to be concerned about my actions and I need to make sure that these actions are a reflection of my thoughts, prayers, and talk!

My hope, and challenge, to anyone who reads this is to walk by faith and not fear. Trust in the Supreme Being Who created you! Live life to its fullest. "...men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25)