There are many things in this world that work every day to challenge my faith and my Faith. To begin with, the things that challenge my faith include:
1.Untrustworthy People
I have a group of friends whom I believe I can trust. Hypothetically, if one of them were to do something or say something bad about me, I would obviously be mad at them and probably stop talking to them for a while. I think it would take a great deal of faith in my friend to believe that he/she would not turn on me again, and for me to feel comfortable talking to them again. So, the fear of bad friends and untrustworthy people is a challenge to my faith.
2. Previous Failures and Faults
When there is something that I have not succeeded with in the past, that makes it so much harder for me to feel comfortable doing that certain thing in the future. For example, in my dance class at Krupinski Academy of Dance, I was doing this really complicated leap, which when I landed, I fell and sprained my ankle. I basically couldn’t dance for a week, so when I had to do that jump again, I had little faith in myself that I could do it again, but I was able to work up enough courage do try it, and I managed to land fine. These things show how my personal faith can be tested in everyday situations.
3. Worldwide Problems
We see war, hunger, and violence in general everyday in the news and on television, and sometimes, I feel like I have less faith in humanity because of it. To me, I feel like there is always a better solution than going to war with another people, and when we do go to war, it seems to me as if those decision-makers who are deciding can’t be thinking clearly. Though I realize war is sometimes a necessary evil, it is still a depressing occurrence when we do. These sorts of worldly problems sometimes make me feel less faith in humanity in general.
Furthermore, there are also things that test my Faith in God on a fairly regular basis, which includes:
1. The Media and Materialism
Propaganda in the media is a powerful tool that has the power to influence many people into doing what it desires. For example, there are so many commercials on television about alcohol which promote the message, “drink me, and you’ll be popular!” that it’s surprising more teenagers don’t drink. Furthermore, the media also encourages people to spend their money on frivolous things like designer jeans or brand-name scarves. But the point is that these things which the media deem important are not really that vital to our spiritual, emotional, physical, etc. well-being, while a close relationship with God is!
2. Science
Science is a challenge to Faith because so many people tend to think of science as ultimate truth. Because we teach that you can always find constants within science, the subject itself seems to be constant as well. It is very easy to fall into the mindset of thinking, “Well science is facts and religion is beliefs so science is worth my time,” but both science and religion have their special contributions for our quest to seek God’s Kingdom.
3. Atheism
Atheism is a powerful challenger of Faith because it seems to be a reasonable answer to the question of God. It says, “Well, I can’t see God, I can’t smell God, I can’t touch God…and where has the world benefited from God’s help? God must not exist because I have no proof he does.” Many people find themselves doubting God for some reason or another: perhaps a friend passed away, or some other such tragedy occurs, and they feel like God has forsaken them, so they see atheism as a reasonable alternative.
What is my biggest challenge to Faith now?
Materialism
I have found that materialism is my biggest challenge to Faith at this time, because of my affinity to things, especially clothes. I am a self-proclaimed label-junkie, and will buy something because it’s a good brand (and, of course, I actually like it). My personal favorite brands are Seven for All Mankind, Juicy Couture, and Armani Exchange. I realize that brands aren’t important to who I am, but I have a need to always look good (probably adopted from growing up with a big sister). I don’t think that this is a problem, but if it becomes my center of focus and all I care about, it has replaced God in my life, and I should probably re-evaluate my priorities. This is my biggest challenge to Faith at this time.
What is my biggest challenge to faith now?
Previous Failures and Faults
The biggest challenge I have with faith right now is with previous failures and faults. When I don’t succeed the first time, I have a really hard time trying it again, especially when it comes to things like re-taking quizzes and tests. When I don’t succeed, I get discouraged, and I don’t have as much faith in myself to do better than before. Usually when I try these things again, though, I manage to do well. This is probably my biggest challenge to faith at this time.
So in conclusion, the above mentioned points reveal the challenges to my faith and Faith as a Junior at SLUH and as a person in general.