Sunday Sermon - We've come this far by faith

There are times in life when we feel bereft, in despair, overwhelmed, doomed. We are filled with fear that we are losing, have lost,  or about to lose things that are extremely important to us even essential to our continued existence. At first we panic, then perhaps grow furious, and then we implode, surrender, give up and wonder if we can continue living. I have felt this way several times in my life. The biggest times were when my kids were killed and when my marriage ended. I have lived through it with many clients who have lost people, and things very important to them and broke down in the face of terrible existential devastation.

And when one's life is falling apart or has fallen apart where does one turn? How does one cope, if one does and not kill themselves as I have known people to do,  with this kind of devastating loss?

We cry.

We drink and drug.

We turned to trusted ones we love for solace.

We turn to faith.

Faith is both a noun and a verb, a process. Faith can be a creed or set of beliefs, and it can also be a way of proceeding in the face of pain and fear. One of my favorite hymns is an old spiritual, "We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, Trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet."

God will not only walk with us if we ask Him, He will carry us even if we can't walk ourselves if we ask for a break. Mary Stevenson's great poem, Footprints, says in part, "Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me? The Lord replied, 'The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you.'"

In Alcoholic Anonymous, the first step of the twelve step program, is to admit that life sometimes is too much, it is too unmanageable and we have to turn our life over to our Higher Power whatever we conceive our Higher Power to be. Paradoxically, it is in this surrender, that we find our greatest strength and peace.