My Faith

Faith is a difficult thing for me to work with when things are not going well. Darkness and chaos seem to be enveloping me, the air seems harder to breath and then doubt begins to slowly enter into my mind. I experience this more often than I would like to. Work issues are the toughest because I'm trying to plan my retirement. I always manage to work through it, strengthen my faith and move forward. But it is not always an easy task.


I am reminded that God’s plan is His plan and it doesn’t always match my plan. So I have to work at prayer, work on my "piety, study" and "action." St. Francis De Sales has been helpful as well as my daily reading. There is a prayer that I pulled from “Your Daily Tripod,” which is now part of my morning devotions.  

“ If my faith shifts as temporary waves, rush to my rescue without any hesitation, protecting others from my fleeting frailty. May your Presence always be lively enjoyed, enabling me to shine as a flame of my faith.”   Amen.

This helps me and I pray it will help you also.

As I was reflecting on my faith I remembered a skit that Bill Cosby did back in 1963. It was on Noah and the building of the ark. Bill put himself in Noah’s shoes tying to think how he would react if approached by God to build an ark. Here is the ending which shows Noah dealing with his faith. 

“Noah:  But I'm sick and tired of this. I've been working all day everyday like crazy for months now, dawn to dusk. I'm tired of this.

God:  Noah

Noah:  Yeah?

God:  How long can you tread water? Ha ha ha

Noah:  Yeah, well I got news for you. You keep talking about this flood and I

haven't seen a drop of rain. Meanwhile, the whole neighborhood is making fun

of me. I told one of my friends I'd been talking to the Lord and he laughed

so hard he wet his pants. Do you know I'm the only guy in town with an ark

in his yard? People are picketing and calling the heath department,

strangers walk up to me and say "How's it going, Tarzan?" I am sick and

tired of all of this, you let me get a pregnant elephant . . . Do you give

me an instruction book? . . . No!!! Here I am standing under the elephant

and brrrrrrrrump! Right on top of me! I'm telling you, I've had enough.

You're supposed to see all and know all, well have you seen the bottom of

that ark? Who's going to clean up that mess? Not me, I tell you. I quit. I'm

tired of this. I'm going to let the animals out and burn that ark down. I

can't believe you made me do all this . . .”

(There is the sound of thunder and rain begins to fall ........)

“Noah: (continues)  I can't believe the mess you got me in and . . . and . . .

it's raining . . . This isn't just a shower is it? 

OK. All right, it's me and you Lord, me and you all the way. I'm with you Lord. Whatever you say....”