Faith vs. Blind Hopefulness

Faith. Dictionary definition: complete trust in someone or something, or a strong belief in God or the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than on proof. Biblical definition: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). Faith. It’s a weird concept, isn’t it? And people have told me that I have the gift of faith, yet even I know that it can be a bit weird sometimes. But maybe that’s why I kind of think of it as weird. This weird sense that, for me personally as a christian, things will work out in God’s timing, that I have this overwhelming sense of peace that He will come through even though it may not look like what I imagined, and this weird confidence that fills your soul because you know that you are loved by the One who created the stars and He will always take care of you in your future, no matter what it looks like. Faith looks like giving up your expectations of what your future looks like for you and more about filling it with the reality that God has an ultimate plan, the perfect timing, waiting to hear what His adventures are for you. And then, finally being full of joy as you have the privilege to carry out that perfectly timed plan that ultimately fulfills you, your spirit, and your life in a way that you never imagined it could. Am I romanticizing it? Yeah, maybe, but maybe not. But through the seasons of surrender and what felt like giving up my rights to my future to a God I say I believe and have faith in, this is what it looks and feels like on the other side - the side where you see God come through on all His blessings and adventures He promised you and looking up at your heavenly Father in total awe and joy that He even thought to create you for this life. Yeah, I’ve been there. I’m definitely not in this place every day, unfortunately. Like I said, there are seasons of surrender and trials. But the filling up of your spirit on the other side of that season is always so, so worth it and an incredibly sweet time with your Lord.

Blind hopefulness. Definition - blind: lacking perception, awareness, or discernment; hopefulness: feeling or inspiring optimism about a future event. So put together, that would be lacking discernment about a feeling of optimism about a future event. A place, unfortunately, I have also been in, and have sometimes/oftentimes confused with faith. This is a place of praying to God and asking for something to happen and not waiting to hear for a response, but just assuming that it will work out that way because you prayed it. When ultimately… it wasn’t in God’s plan for you. Maybe because He knows it will hurt you in the future, maybe because He know that with it, you might eventually walk away from Him, or maybe because He knows that eventually, with it, your actual faith in Him might have the chance to weaken. I’d say that blind hopefulness in replace of faith is possibly because of a few reasons: a) you aren’t seeing the whole picture of God’s plan, or what it looks like from His perspective, b) there isn’t a full understanding of how prayer and a relationship with Christ works (it’s always a two-way conversation), or c) you don’t even want to listen to what God has to say. And don’t get me wrong, I have very much been in this spot before, and it took me a while to discern faith from this blind hopefulness.

I can, however, point out a few moments in my life when I knew, deep down, that it was faith. I felt it. But at that young age, I didn’t quite know how to define it. But a lot of other times, even still now, I get into a mindset of blind hopefulness rather than faith. But now that I’ve grown a bit more deeply in my relationship with Jesus, I am starting to discern and understand the difference. It takes time, as does any relationship with a friend or family member. It takes surrender, and it takes, well… faith. But, I can promise you out of my own short life-experience, it is the most beautiful, wonderful, and fulfilling thing you will ever experience when God Almighty comes through for you, His beautiful child.

For example, for the season of rest that I am in right now, I have faith that God will provide for my every need, the biggest of which is provision of funds to get me where He is calling me: Brisbane, Australia. The biggest thing that I lean on and rely on is the fact that I know for certain that He has called me there. So, with that in mind, I know He will provide. I have faith in that. But that doesn't mean I don't worry and still feel anxious. It's hard sometimes to have faith in what seems like the impossible. But, as we know from what God says about Himself in His word, we know that "with God, all things are possible." (Matt 19:26) We serve a God of the possible, a good Father, and the Creator and Lover of our souls. So, we can know for a fact that He would never call us somewhere and then just leave us. No, He is too faithful, too good, and too just for that. He will always carry us the entire way. And that, in this season of rest, is what I am relying on. And I'd say I'm in pretty good hands, don't you think?