Blog Post #55: Faith

Dear People,

Today I want to talk about Faith. Faith is a principle of power, and if given the proper environment to be cultivated in, it will grow. Now, my letter this week isn't about the ways to prepare your soul to receive and nurture this "seed of faith", but about the things I've discovered about faith in my studies recently.

Now, every Christian knows that Faith, Hope, and Charity are bound together in such a way that you cannot have Faith without the other two. I've found, in the last few days, that Patience is also inseparably connected to these other three virtues. Faith, in an interesting way, is also the root of Hope, Charity, and Patience, they could even be called "Facets of Faith".

HOPE

Hope is an abiding trust in God and His timing. You Hope for the things that you need in your life to further the work of God. You Hope for the strength to conquer your challenges and weaknesses. Part of Hope is waiting patiently for God to bless you in your time of need.

PATIENCE

Patience is having the faith to wait out your trials and tribulations, to accept that God is in charge, what He's throwing at you is part of the plan that leads to your greater good, and that you'll ultimitely be happy for what you're experiencing. Patience is a key indicator of your trust in God.

CHARITY

Charity, a type of Love that was exemplified perfectly in our Savior Jesus Christ, is what takes your Hope and Patience, and turns them to those around you. Once you have the Faith to be Patient and Hopeful towards God's plan, you can start to show a similar trust in those around you through Charity. You start to acknowledge other peoples' freedom to choose more and more, you accept them as children of God more readily, and you recognize faster that, even with their weaknesses, most are trying just as hard as you are to find true happiness in this life. Charity is showing your love for God by loving His children.

So yeah, it's been a really good week. The other Tai Po Elders had a Baptism yesterday, have one scheduled for next week, and we've got one scheduled for the next week, and the week after that. There is a lot about to happen in this Area, and I hope I can be patient and charitable enough for the Lord to bless others through me.

Love,
Elder O'Gara