Bonnie Gray over at Faith Barista (cool name, right?) has started this nifty new feature called Faith Barrista JAM | Keep Faith Fresh. Here’s how it works: She throws out a topic about faith, and we all write a post and link it up on her site. Sounds like fun, yeah?
Today’s topic: How does your faith affect your personality?
It’s interesting that this was her topic for this jam. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. And I wonder how people who don’t have faith deal with everything life throws at them.
How do you deal with stress? Pain? Injustice? Loss? Grief? Without someone to turn it over to? Without hope? Without faith that all will work out? Even if it’s not the way we think it will be.
Facing Crisis
For me, faith is an integral part of my life. It’s something I’ve always had. My parents are Christians, and I was raised in a Baptist Church. God has always been there. He’s always been part of my life. When I was paralyzed in fifth grade with a rare condition, it was God I turned to, my parents turned to, and prayer from my church, friends and family that the doctors said healed me. The Easter Seals child for that year, had the same condition and he’ll never be able to walk again. And yet, here I am, nearly 30 years later healed and well.
When I face everyday challenges, it’s my faith that all will work out the way it’s supposed to – even if it’s frustrating, irritating, heartbreaking and painful along the way – that keeps me going.
Core Values
We recently had this organizational exercise we had to narrow down our core values to five. Here are mine: Faith, hope, wisdom, happiness and humor. Notice that faith and hope are right up front, and that springs from my belief in God, as does wisdom. This is key for me. I believe that in all things we must be wise – even if that means being unpopular for our decisions. And through faith, hope and wisdom comes happiness. Happiness in my family, in my friends and in myself. Last, but certainly not least, is humor. Another key value. I can cope with anything through humor. Humor and, yes, I’ll say it again, faith. 😉
So, how does faith affect my personality? It’s the core of my very being. It’s who I am, what I believe in, how I face challenges and how I want to live my life. In faith. That’s not to say I don’t struggle with it sometimes or that I’m always Miss Happy. But, when I dig down deep inside me, it’s there. I just have to call on Him.
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ~1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV)
Discovering Our Common Grounds
How does your faith affect your personality? Drop me a comment and let me know your story. And stop on by Faith Barista to let her know as well.
You covered this topic so well. I hope that my faith is the core of my personality as well. I certainly can’t imagine how I would have coped throughout life without my faith in God and in his sovereignty. He’s definitely given me more peace and joy than I ever would have had on my own doing. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa, thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Stop back anytime. 😉
I see we have the same views on this one!
We absolutely do. Just read your post for today, too. Well said, my friend, well said. 😉
Wow. Laura. What an incredible testimony. I’m so appreciative you shared it here with us in the jam, today. No wonder you have such a confidence in what God is doing through trials and crisis. I see “resilience” written all over this post and in your story. Thank you!
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to “jam” with you, Bonnie! And thanks for stopping by to serve up such kind words. 😉
I’ve never really thought about how faith affected my personality. It’s always just been there. But I think it helps me not be a worrier. I realize that there is Someone greater than myself who has it all under control. I don’t have to worry about it & I’m very grateful for that truth!
Alicia, you’re so right. It’s nice to have someone to turn over our worries to, isn’t it? Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a comment!
Great post! My thinking has been very similar. I became a believer as a young child. Separating the functions of faith and personality are difficult. I’ve never really known one without the other. I know enough of myself at this point to know if they were separated, it wouldn’t be a pretty picture.
Thanks for stopping by, Sheryl! I’m glad you enjoyed the post & I’m right there with ya. The picture without faith would indeed be bleak. Aren’t you glad we don’t need to worry about that?
Great post, Laura. It sounds like you faced quite a journey at a young age. You’ve made me think this morning and if and when I can put the right words on my situation I’ll come back and share here. (Caffeine is trying to get through to me right now. 😉 )
You have such a strong and beautiful outlook. What a blessing!
Thanks for the comment. You’re so sweet, and yes, come back and share your opinion! 😉
Laura
[…] It takes a lot to bring me down, and I attribute that to my faith. I talked about this a bit in our first Faith JAM. We recently had this organizational exercise where we had to narrow down our core values to five. […]
Wow, I just stubbled in to your site & all I can say is WOW. I really connected with your posts on this site.
Keep posting. Your words of encouragement are a blessing to this world.
Thank you so much for being so sweet! I’m happy to hear that you connect with my posts & so pleased that you stumbled onto the site. Finding our common grounds is what it’s all about so I’m excited that we’ve been able to do that through these posts. Thanks so much for your kind words & I hope your able to stop back again! 😉
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Amen