So Much Comes Down to Faith

Today’s post is a guest post from Lynette Jenkins. Thanks so much to her for sharing her experiences and testimony.

According to your Faith

As I was reading in the New Testament recently, I was struck by the faith exhibited by those who came in contact with Jesus. Particularly, the woman with the issue of blood that touched Christ’s clothing as he walked by. Christ turned to her (because he felt power had gone out of him) and said, “Thy faith had made thee whole” (Luke 8:48).

Another example that I was touched by was when Jairus asked Christ to heal his daughter, saying to Christ “come lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.” Christ told Jairus to “Be not afraid, only believe.” Later, Jairus’s daughter was healed. (Mark 5:23, 36)

A third instance that I found to be a great example of faith was Christ healing the two blind men. They came begging for mercy and healing. Christ touched their eyes and said to them, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). The two men received their sight.

Each of these instances happened in Galilee. Christ later went to Nazareth where he grew up. The people there did not have the same faith as the people in Galilee.

In Mark 6:5-6 it says,

5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6 And he marveled because of their unbelief…
Mark 6:5-6, KJV

Only a few were healed. Why is this? It was a direct correspondence of their faith. This has really caused me to ponder about faith. If we want God to make a difference in our lives, it is according to our faith how much of an influence He will have. If we want to see His miracles, we need to exercise faith.

Our faith in Christ can make us whole. It can give us strength if we let it. It can heal us, maybe not in the ways we may expect, but it is all “according to our faith.”

Look and Live

On my flight home the other night, which happened to be right before sunset, I was struck by the beauty that I experienced. We took off and were flying above the clouds. When we would pass a gap or hole in the clouds, the sun was glowing orange under the clouds. I marveled at the beauty of it.

As we were getting closer to our destination, we dropped down into the clouds and it became pretty dark. I looked out my window and noticed that I could see the sun straight out but that it was getting dimmer and dimmer. Pretty soon it was hidden by the clouds. It was a really curious thing. I knew it was there, but I could not see it.

Soon enough, as I continued to look through the window, the sun slowly started to become faintly visible.

As we continued, it became more and more visible until we dropped down below the clouds, and I saw an amazing sunset that I was able to enjoy until I landed.

As I was experiencing this, I kept thinking about how sometimes we get in the clouds in our lives, whether it be through sin, mental illness, doubt, bogged down by the cares of the world, or just feeling a bit distant from our Savior. We need to always remember that just like when I couldn’t see the sun because of the clouds that the sun was still there.

The same thing applies to the Savior, the Son of God. He is our Sun. He is always there, even when we can’t see Him, and if we will just watch and keep our eye on Him, we will find Him.

He is always there for us!! He is constant!! He is enduring! He is light! We can see Him best when we follow His commandments, read our scriptures, pray, and have faith in Him. If we want to see and feel His light, this is the way to do it.

If we feel distant from Him, because of any reason, doubt, sin, confusion, or any other reason – He is there and will always be there!! And we can all find Him again if we turn to Him and look for Him and have faith that He is there.

You can depend on Him. He will always love you, no matter what!! We can ALL feel the love of the Savior, no one is exempt, just look to Him and you will find Him in the clouds, and He will carry you through the clouds and bless you and strengthen you and teach you and hold you and love you!! When you have felt His love, you will see the beauty that He has brought to you and pure joy will fill your soul!!

I am so grateful for our Savior and His love for each of you and for me. I know He lives!! I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who loved us enough to share His son with us! There is a plan of happiness laid out for us, we just need to “look and live”.