While I sat one morning, I gazed at a summer rain shower. I did not have faith that the sunshine would emerge from this gloom. If not that day, it could be the next day or the next. I resolved to sit tight, hold the fort, and stand firm. I wished to build a firm personal and community of faith.
Appreciating the blessing of quiet time, I opened my Bible and read this verse: Stand firm, and you will win life. Jesus was telling His followers that times ahead would be more difficult.
Today, believers and even ambivalent folk who focus on freedom of belief can experience persecution. The Enemy can tempt all of us to turn away from our faith and make wrong choices. Instead of giving in to temptations and being imperfect humans, we can keep returning to God and fostering peace. Following Jesus as a true worshipper entails more than worshipping one morning each week and joining in the hymns at church. That is a blessing, but we must continually build our faith.
Many in our communities struggle. We can donate food, clothing, and even good shoes to their causes. Adopting inclusive approaches and guiding younger people in unity needs to be our collective aim.
We are all a part of an overall global faith that includes struggles. Keep uniting in prayer, turning back to God, and fostering each other to build our faith.
Julie Grenness is a former teacher and catechist who is now a writer of many online articles, mainly for baby boomers. She is also a caregiver for a geriatric and a part-time tutor and mentor of young Australians from many lands. She aims to be a woman of God and to walk humbly in the path of Jesus.