Day 67: My observations on faith, hope, and my "signs"

Today's blog might be a little heavy (or not) depending on your point of view.

I've made it pretty public knowledge that I'm a man of Faith. I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ. What I don't believe in is organized religion. I'm not a church goer. I was for a short time, but then there was a schism within the church and people taking sides and I became disillusioned with the Church. I don't need someone telling me how to believe, anyway. I know my beliefs and I know God is there. He's always there.

Anyway, faith and hope are intricately tied together. If you can believe in something that cannot be proven beyond a doubt, then hope for what might seem to be impossible is easy. On one hand, I know my weight loss is working and if it slips, I know what I can do to get it going again. Hope and faith are lesser players in that scenario. On the other hand, there's something I want in my life now more than anything but I have no guarantee that I will have it, but I believe that it will be in my life and I have to be patient. Not having that guarantee means its a matter of faith that things will work out and sometimes that faith is a heavy duty test. I'll get melancholy and feel like it's hopeless and that's when I ask for a sign of what I should do, hang in and hold on or let go and move on. To date, when I get to that point and ask for that sign, something always happens and that's my sign to hold on and not to lose faith. The sign is never the same, but it always strikes a chord in me and tells me this is the sign that it will work out if I'm patient. I had one of these low moments a couple of nights ago and I asked for the sign. That event I was beyond simple melancholy. I was approaching all-out despair. I asked for the sign and went to bed for the night. The next day, something happened that was completely unexpected but it struck that chord big time and said (with apologies to Bill Engvall), "Here's your sign!"

The sign was so powerful to me that all I could do was look up to the heavens, raise my hands in supplication and say "I get it, Lord. I'll keep the faith and hold my hope. How may I serve thee?"

It was that powerful to me. Like someone opened the faith and hope valve inside me and started flooding my soul. I couldn't dismiss it, even if I wanted to.

Walk in God's hands, readers...