"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."
-St. Augustine
In my opinion, basically every action we perform stems from faith. You wouldn't even be reading this article if you didn't have some faith it would be inspiring or entertaining or something. (Hopefully it delivers!) The simple action of reaching for a light switch is motivated by our faith that a light will turn on when we flip it. Examples of faith from those around me have shaped and changed my life. One recent event has made a huge impression on many of us. Tylinn Tilley and Tiffany Stoker’s story absolutely inspired me—their willingness to keep fighting for their lives for hours despite nearly paralyzing cold, huge waves, and no tangible evidence that they would be rescued. After their boat capsized in a sudden and severe storm at Bear Lake earlier this summer, the two friends repeatedly prayed for and received help to swim under conditions many of us would have thought impossible.
"Faith consists of believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe." -Voltaire
A story was shared by Elder L. Whitney Clayton in April's LDS General Conference of a 7 year-old girl, Sailor Gutzler, who lost her entire family in a private airplane crash. It was dark, nearly freezing, unknown territory, and she had broken her wrist. Somehow, amidst these conditions under which giving up would have been so much easier, her faith took her in her bare feet, t-shirt and shorts on a trek through the rain, creeks, ditches, and blackberry briars of over a mile to finally arrive safely at the home of a kind man who helped get her the care she needed. Ever since hearing that story, I have wondered many times how far I would have gone to fight for my life, and I feel like that young girls' faith, tenacity, and courage outshines my own.
A final example I want to share comes from yet another young person. I have an eleven-year-old piano student who struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome. He is talented and hard-working, but easily frustrated at times. After a bit of a break from piano, following lessons from his previous teacher, he had a tough time getting back into reading music. He really wanted his ability to match what it had before, but it took some time to recover those skills. At times he would become flustered at his mistakes and have little outbursts. We reasoned together, talked about having faith that if he works hard he can attain his goals, and prepared ourselves for the work and frustration ahead. I am so excited about the progress he has made over the last few months, but I'm even more impressed with how he deals with the frustration when he makes mistakes now. During his lesson last week, he made a series of mistakes, and I could see the aggravation building. But, before he got too upset, he checked himself and apologized for getting upset. "I'm sorry; I'm just trying so hard, but I will stay calm." I cheered.
I think, especially as adults, we often find something to be difficult and we just quit. We figure we just aren't going to get better at it, or it isn't worth our time. We usually don't give kids the option to quit, so they end up really growing and stretching. Doesn't it become easier and easier to believe that if we can't see it, it must not be true? How much more could I accomplish and become if I had the faith of a child once again...
"For we walk by faith, not by sight" -2 Chorinthians 5:7
