The Importance of Faith

Ena Zizi was at a Roman Catholic prayer meeting when the 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. She was trapped under the rubble for seven days with a broken leg and dislocated hip, lying near two dead people, until she was rescued yesterday by a Mexican disaster team.

How did she get through it? "I talked only to my boss, God," she said. "I didn't need any more humans."

Faith is indeed an incredibly powerful thing, not just for our salvation, but for our survival. The power of prayer has been responsible for countless medical miracles. And several recent studies have indicated that people who have a relationship with God live three years or more longer than non-believers.

How is your relationship with God? If you're reading this, then it could use improvement. As long as we are on this Earth, there is always room for improvement in growing our relationship with our creator. I know mine is in perpetual need of improvement.

How does one grow in faith? I'm going to share my plan, which hopefully can help you, too, if you are open to wanting a deeper connection with God:

1. Study - read all you can from all different faiths. There is so much wonderful wisdom and depth to be discovered across the religious spectrum. Just be sure to use your own discernment and wisdom (with God's help) in seeing what is true and what is essentially window dressing.

2. Visit - go to religious institutions that you find interesting. Talk with the leaders, as most will be extremely welcoming to respectful inquiries.

3. Discuss - find people who are interested in theology and philosophy. People you already know may surprise you with their insights.

4. Pray - this is obviously the most important thing one can do to build one's relationship with God. Prayer and reflection are crucial in really finding God's truth that is located within each and every one of us.

5. Listen - God is perpetually--and I mean it--speaking to each of us. It's all about developing our listening skills. God speaks to us through our consciences, for sure, but God also speaks to us through other people. Stay aware of this at all times. God also communicates volumes to us through nature, as it is a very real and direct connection to God.

I most definitely need to grow in faith, which became crystal clear during my recent health scare, although I'm aware it is a lifelong journey to develop as deep a relationship as possible with God. I pray you find great success in deepening your relationship with God as well.


If you have ideas or things to share, please post your comments below: