Thoughts on a Tuesday

Every other Tuesday, I am blessed to hang out with a really cool group of people. Let’s see…we have two new sets of parents, a retired biochemist, a newly engaged couple, a director of HR for a large grocery chain, an environmental consultant, an ER nurse for a children’s hospital, a painter, a lovely Lithuanian woman who lived in a concentration camp as a baby and an architect. Well…and then there is me.

Thirteen people who randomly showed up at the same information session one day about 2 years ago. We all marked Tuesday as our “day of the week” preference and wahlaaaa....together we still are, two years later!

The group I am speaking of is my church group. Despite our drastic differences in background and age, we all have one important thing in common. We all share a love for our faith.

Tonight was my turn to lead the discussion, and the topic was, in fact, “Faith.” Such a vague word to me at times. I tend to use the word “faith” so often that I don’t take time to really understand what I’m saying. What is faith? A belief in God and heaven, right? Man, I’m deep.

Well, I was determined to think a little deeper this week. Bare with me if you dare.…so, we reflected on the upcoming Sunday readings, Wis 18:6-9; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 and Lk 12:32-48. A verse that stood out to me tonight was from Hebrews: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Realization? Evidence? These are “present” words. My faith, i.e. belief in Heaven, is focused on the “future”… At first I was a little confused, but then when reading on about Abraham, I realized it all made perfect sense. His faith was so closely linked with his present that he let his faith - his profound trust in God- guide his present. I mean, who takes his own son to the alter for sacrifice, because God told him to? A man with full trust and faith in God. So..my realization…I learned that my faith is calling me to live from a depth of trust that enables me to do what God teaches now in the present. Puts a whole new perspective to “living out my faith.” Light bulb!

Alright, I love a good brain challenge, my brain kinda hurts…here’s a few light-hearted “faith” quotes I picked up during my research...Enjoy!

Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel. ~Author Unknown


Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. ~George Seaton


Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~Martin Luther King Jr.


Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch. ~Ramona C. Carroll