FAITH

I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy, well, I should say, finished crying through Grey's Anatomy and was struck by the theme of the show. The program was all about faith. Faith in one's abilities. Faith in the sanctity of relationships. Faith in the strength of love. Faith in friendships. Faith in the honesty of others. Faith in the abilities of others. Faith that dreams do come true. Faith in forgiveness and understanding. Faith in healing. Faith in GOD. FAITH. A little word with a huge impact.

I have had my faith challenged at times throughout my life. My faith in my abilities has been challenged. My faith was challenged the time that I didn't get the Thurgood Marshall scholarship to attend the University of Maryland after making it through the first round in the application process. After being ranked in the top 60 of my graduating class from high school, getting a 1.7 my first semester at the University of Maryland caused my faith to be challenged. Going to work at the U.S. Department of Education and having someone with less knowledge and education recognized as the expert in reading education by my boss was a challenge in my faith in my abilities.

I have had my faith in others and relationships with others(male and female, friendships and romantic relationships) challenged. Sometimes I understood why. At other times, I've had people just "fade away" with no explanation, rhyme, or reason.

I have seen faith in the strength of love challenged both near and far. I have also seen faith in forgiveness and understanding heal in these relationships.

My faith in healing was challenged when my brother was at Morehouse College and got sick with an illness that no one could diagnose, and that was so bad that his friends called my mother to come and get him. My faith in healing was challenged when my husband was diagnosed with diabetes after having a sugar level that, as our friend who's an emergency room surgeon stated, should have left him dead. My faith in healing was challenged when at 21 weeks of my pregnancy with Juicy Boy, I was admitted to the hospital after a routine sonogram because he was on his way.

All of these challenges might make some people give up on a lot of things. These challenges often knocked me for a loop, made me sick, made me anxious, made me depressed, made me retreat, made me sulk, made me angry...but more than anything else, they made me pray because my FAITH IN GOD was always there. After my emotional combustion dissipated, I knew in my gut and in my mind, the only thing that can help me through all of these challenges is my FAITH IN GOD. GOD ALWAYS MAKES A WAY.

Now, faith in God does not mean that situations are "fixed" the way you or I want them to be in the blink of an eye. God answers prayer when and how He wants. But, what it means is that God will often show you how to combat a challenging situation. He will often place others in your life (those angels on the ground) to guide you and encourage you. He will often make things happen, "by coincidence" --there are no coincidences - everything in life is by design...God's design [that's another post at another time]. God will often give you a second (and a 3rd, 4th, 5th,...nth) chance to make a situation right. Faith in God will teach you a lesson when you overcome the challenge. A lifelong lesson. Faith in God will give you hallelujah moments!! (I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE!). Faith in God will show you that by doing His will, sharing the gifts He gave you, spreading His goodness in deed or word...all things are possible. Since all things are possible with faith in God, this faith also lets you know that dreams do come true.

So, when life challenges come your way, keep the faith and dream on dreamer...