faith is better when you have it

Faith. My faith. Your faith.

Faith in general.

It's actually one of my favorite topics to write about. And, therefore, talk about. Recently I found out that the girlfriend of someone I went to high school with passed away from an incredibly aggressive form of cancer. I'm not going to pretend like I knew her. I'm not even going to pretend that I "knew" Adam. Yes, we graduated together. Yes, we walked the halls--and shared classrooms--of the same high school for 4 years. And yes, you could probably say that, in high school, we were acquaintances. But I haven't talked to him since. I do, however, have friends that still hang out with Adam. And I have friends that knew Ashley (his girlfriend). Today was Ashley's wake. My friend Kelly is one of Adam's friends and, obviously, through Adam she met Ashley. It's times like tonight when I'm incredibly grateful for the friends I have and the discussions we're able to have.

Faith. One of the best things to enjoy in life. It's always hard when someone you know dies. Always. There's no way around the truth of that. But isn't it amazing how faith brings you through it? Kelly was telling me about the wake today; how incredibly sad it was. How there were ribbons in Ashley's casket for Adam saying 'always and forever'. From everything I've heard about Ashley, her and her family had incredible faith. I was trying to explain to Kelly that while this will be one of the hardest things they'll ever have to overcome, they will overcome it. Because Ashley had faith. Because Adam has faith. Because her family has faith.

And while we were talking about it, this question popped up. Why does faith make you feel better? When things are rough, why does having faith help? When someone you know dies, why does it feel better when you have faith that they're in a better place? How is it, exactly, that faith just helps? It doesn't really do anything. I mean, it does a lot, but in terms of what it physically does? Nothing, right? I've been pondering this question for awhile now and I really don't have an answer.

I know that having faith makes me feel better. That while I don't understand all of God's plan, I have faith in them and I know they are right and there's a reason for them. I don't understand--or even agree with--God taking Phil but I have faith that God needed him at that time. I don't know why God chose to give Ashley this cancer and, ultimately, take her to Heaven...but she had faith and therefore, the rest of us should have faith. So, while I can't answer the question of why faith makes us feel better, I do hold comfort in the fact that it simply does.