trust – Growing in Faith

Faith…Compassion

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 (AMP)

If you’ve lived on earth long enough then you have judged someone based on your own preconceived ideas of what that someone of a particular skin color, gender, clothing, and or how they talk, etc. I am very guilty of that myself.

Stereotypes, in my humble opinion, are the major cause of hatred, bigotry, and prejudice that plague our society. A black teen gets shot for being black and wearing a hoodie, a blond haired woman is assumed to be ditsy and unintelligent, and most recently, people of Asian decent are blamed, attacked and killed due to the Covdid19 Pandemic.

When I was in middle school I heard some really mean things said about Hattians. As a result I thought that all Hattians were poor and stupid. However, that all changed when I started interacting with Hattians and got to know them for myself. As of today some of my best relationships are with people of Hattians decent. They are some of the most real, loyal, and beautiful people I know.

What does Faith have to do with compassion? In order to have compassion you must give people you know nothing about the benefit of the doubt that you have against them. If you don’t like a certain group of people or person for whatever the reason, do something different. Do not put your myopic, erroneous and stereotypical views on them. Seek to know, to understand and to have compassion on them.

This is what Jesus did for you. Pay it forward. Show compassion. Hate evil. Love people.

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 (AMP)

Faith…Progressive

“Do not be afraid to step out on faith. Chose faith over fear. Be Progressive.”

According to the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, the word Progressive is an adjective which means:

Moving forward; advancing.
Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments.
Open to or favoring new ideas, policies, or methods.

Moving forward requires faith. A lot of people get comfortable in life and stop advancing, growing, and progressing. When this happens stagnation sets in and then you do the opposite of progressing, digressing.

It is so easy to get comfortable. Especially in developed countries that all filled with luxuries and amenities. The people in these countries do not worry about food, shelter, clothing, or clean water. They have jobs, healthcare, entertainment and more comforts than you can think of. It’s easy for a person to be stuck as a middle class citizen especially the upper middle class. They aren’t struggling, yet they have to work a 9-5 in order to maintain that lifestyle.

Last year in 2020 I had the mindset like that. I was comfortable. I was not interested in learning anything new, I wasn’t advancing at work, and I wasn’t thinking about new ideas or possibilities. I got up, went to work and went home, then got up went to work and went home. My stagnation had turned to digression and I was lifeless. While in that state of mind I never lost faith that things would get better for me, and they did.

Toward the end of 2020 and since that time I have had a complete turn around and I started progressing once again. What started this change? For starters, I made my relationship with God my number one priority. How did I do that? I started spending quality time with Him early in the morning. The next thing I did was listen to my wife, as we had a conversation about my lack of progress. I took it to heart and made a choice to start progressing once again.

Progression can be challenging because you don’t know what will happen next, you are in suspense, and you can’t see the outcome. That is where faith comes in. Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) – Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

“Do not be afraid to step out on faith. Chose faith over fear. Be Progressive.”

Faith…Enduring Difficulties

I won’t give up! I won’t give in! I’ll keep my head up and I will win!

If you are like me, then you hate going through difficult situations; trauma, abuse, theft, mental anguish, and hopelessness. These are what I call the difficult aspect of an otherwise beautiful life.

No one is immune to it. No matter your culture, skin color, economic status, sexual orientation, or gender. It doesn’t even matter if you are a child or an adult. Life happens to us all.

How should we as human beings endure hurt, pain, and suffering? One way of doing so is to have faith. Faith that the difficulty is only temporary. Faith that the difficulty is in our lives for a specific reason. Faith that we will grow and come out better as a result of the difficult situation.

There is a scripture in the book of Psalms that says: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, second part) That means that there is always light at the end of the tunnel for those who have faith.

“I won’t give up! I won’t give in! I’ll keep my head up and I will win!”

Faith…Healthy Communication

Be aware of who you are communicating with and express yourself according to the type of relationship you have with him/her.

Communication has evolved through the years. Our ancestors didn’t have cell phones, fax machines, email, instant messaging, or video chat. These forms of electronic communication have connected humans in ways that were not possible for our ancestors. Yet, through all of the modern forms of human communication, nothing beats face-to-face communication. Now, for all the millennials out there, I’m not talking about face time on your phone, or any other form of video chat. I’m talking about being in the presence of a live human being in such a way that you can touch him or her.

In this form of communication you don’t hide behind a computer or phone. Face-to-face communication causes you to be aware of your surroundings. You wouldn’t have a full conversation with someone at a concert featuring a Symphony Orchestra, most people wouldn’t be quiet at a party, and when you are alone with someone you love, intimacy and transparency take place.

The question is…What does faith have to do with healthy communication? Healthy communication requires honesty, openness, and vulnerability. We must have faith that the person we are opening up to has our best interest in mind, won’t judge us, and won’t spread our business. Of course we don’t open up to everyone that crosses our path as there are different forms of communication based on the type of relationship established. Coworkers generally communicate facts and ideas, friends at school talk about the latest trends, and family members talk about everything. If we don’t trust the people we’re talking to then our communication will be limited to facts and ideas. The more we trust the person listening to us the more we will communicate our feelings, which is the deepest level of communication.

Healthy communication is being able to recognize when, where, and who to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions to. When we communicate the wrong things to the wrong people, confusion, awkwardness and embarrassment occur. As a rule of thumb, if we don’t feel safe expressing certain things to certain people then we shouldn’t feel compelled to do so.

“Be aware of who you are communicating with and express yourself according to the type of relationship you have with him/her.”