Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I pray this newsletter finds you in good spirits. Briefly, I would like to share something on faith. By “faith” I mean having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. I believe we can all say that throughout our lives at some point we’ve been let down by people we've trusted. Whether it was being let down by an old mate from our adolescent years, a business partner or even a relative, people have a tendency to let us down and even betray our trust.
Especially in these turbulent times as government and the weather seem to constantly change from clear to stormy in a matter of hours or days; it's hard to know where to place our trust and confidence.
Then I'm reminded of the trust and faith I have in God. God is still reliable and my faith in Him releases the blessings that I need. Not man!
No matter what our individual religious commitments, they all lead us in growing the faith and resilience we need to persevere, maybe even growing stronger.
Here are three ways we can learn to develop our faith in God:
Take a spiritual baseline: Start by rating yourself. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being Great!), where does your faith stand today? Rather than judging or making excuses, just be truthful.
Make a commitment to grow: Faith doesn't grow by accident, it grows with practice. Where do you want to be in a month? Knowing that it takes steps and lots of deliberate practice, where do you want to be in a year?
Identify your next steps: Faith grows in numerous ways; studying, reflection, support, and service. Faith is a spiritual exercise. Are you getting your daily “steps” in? Develop a plan that includes one or two small ways you can get your “steps” in on a regular basis.
So if you’re like me today, somewhat overwhelmed by the world around us, remember the faith you have and in
whom you have it for, therein lies the work that is set before us.
Blessings,
Dedric Burks
Protestant Chaplain
Calvet West LA