FAITH

Faith is for freedom. Freedom from all things dark. Dark deeds done to you. Dark deeds done by you. Dark memories and spirits. Dark dreams and days. Dark and lonely soul and self.
 
Faith is a mystery. Like life itself, and all the deepest things in life. Faith is a medium. It is God's medium given to mankind, for mankind to take and hold things from God. Spirit things, like forgiveness, joy, peace, and true identity. (Heb 11:1,6)
 
Jesus said he was a 'door' to salvation. (John 10:9) Faith is how we go through that door. Faith is sometimes one with belief, but not always. One can see, believe, and yet reject. This is where belief and faith divide. Faith is belief in action. Belief off the page.
 
In this respect faith is much more than belief, as wind is to oxygen, or streams are to water. Faith puts direction on things, actually goes places. To believe and act, is faith. To speak out, is faith.
 
As children we see and believe. As adults, we have lost our way and our vision of the pure. We no longer see and believe, but must believe in order to see. This is how we hold fast to anything we know is true - like love, honesty, loyalty. We believe, and hold fast, when every other fiber of our being is not believing, pulling us in the opposite direction. This is believing, in order to see.
 
This is faith towards self and others, and makes for strong families and communities, because it is the core cord of relationship. It is faithfulness, literally and spiritually.

Faith is the essence of relationship with one another, and it is the essence of our relationship with God. It is about seeing and believing, and believing to see more. Faith in God is about holding fast to what He reveals to our hearts, like we hold fast to the promises and paths of one another.
 
Days do darken, and conflicting reports and promises compete, but faithfulness is a stand on what is truest. Faith - and faithfulness - reaches for, holds and one day has, all that God gives.
 
'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...' (Revelation 21:4)