In Light of Faith
My Road Goes Ever On
In Light of Faith, I find an optimism that stays with me, transforming my life beyond human limitations. Where there is hope, there is life.
The season is deepening into winter, (for those in the northern hemisphere anyway) a dark time where sunlight dims and days grow short. Ironically, it is also the time when we celebrate the greatest Light in our midst, faith in a human-God communion, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” hope.
Writing about faith in today’s world feels very much like poking a hornet’s nest. There is no easy way to approach what has become a volatile topic without irritating readers and getting stung in response. Yet, faith is the walk-on-water trust that helps us get up in the morning, face the day, steer through traffic, march into work, engage with co-workers, family, and friends, support charities, and take the next life-giving breath. Let’s face it, no one understands AI completely, yet it rules everything from our phones to our banking systems. We have faith, but in what, we prefer not to delve too deep.
In writing about faith (my own or my characters’) I try very hard not to slide into a reflection on religion. I am Catholic and find a conduit of grace through my accepted religion, but I do not confuse religion with the Almighty Creator of the universe. God is God. Religion is not.
I have a great respect for humanity’s reaching toward the Light. Rather than discussing the merits or demerits of particular religions or the tenants therein, I find comfort in the human search for understanding our relationship with our Creator. Circumstances of birth, heredity, physical status, cultural environment, and societal pressures eradicate any sense of a level playing field. We are all so different! Yet, free will unifies us like nothing else. Of course, even free will is mitigated by pressure points like abuse, addiction, and out-of-control life events. Which leads to a basic Christian tenant: Forgive as you would be forgiven.
And that is an exciting thought. The very nature of forgiveness is so beyond our natural proclivities that it demands attention. It’s impossible to forgive cruelty, injustice, and evil acts. Yet people can and people do. I find that so startling that I can’t help but stare, metaphorically speaking, at a race of beings who can be the source and recipient of both great evil and its antidote. Only in forgiveness is a hate cycle broken.
Some actions are so horrific and some pain so terrible that all thought of forgiveness seems like betrayal. In such experiences, there is no human will strong enough to join hands in a Kumbaya moment and say that all is forgiven. Yet the true nature of Kumbaya is one of surrender. We may not have the will to achieve perfect natures, to be as good as we would like to be in a thousand ways, to forgive even small transgressions—our own or others—but that is where faith steps in.
Faith is not adherence to laws, rules, and reasonable conjecture. Faith is surrender to God. Being open to a transformation we, as mere humans, can’t possibly understand—mutable beings in transmutable hands.
Though the days are dark, the Light stays bright. Perhaps we see better in the dark. Too often we stand before the sun, then turn and proclaim our own shadows. In this season of faith in the dark, I hope to follow my best characters’ examples and love the Light.
A. K. Frailey is the author of 18 books, a teacher for 35 years, and a homeschooling mother of eight.
Make the most of life’s journey.
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“I loved reading Ann’s wise, hope-giving thoughts about life and love. Truly, life is the art of overcoming obstacles and becoming stronger to live a fuller life. Beautiful work!” ~Ksenia
“I found myself enchanted by the stories. I laughed and cried. I got some time to think about many things related to the world and to myself as a human being.” ~Edith N. Mendel Fréccia
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