Faith

Mysterious, this faith.  

Takes a lifetime of cultivation, blood, sweat, tears.  

Although an occasional snooze is permitted, don’t fall asleep on the job! 

Invisible, imperceptible, ‘tis yet one of life’s strongest forces.

To the faithful, it is everything - to the atheist, at best, a joke.  

For me, it’s hope.  

Pipe dreams!  You might say. 

Wishful thinking!  One may surmise.

Based on what?  Some could sneer.

Yes, yes, I understand.

But for me, it is reality:

“The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) 

Often, I’ve coasted - prayed faithless, conniving prayers.

Groping my way along the dark, winding path life is, 

I’ve faltered and reached for the instructions, cheating my way out of faith’s practice, fair and square. 

Still, somehow, the light has managed the impossible:  to seep in and settle around my shoulders - like the warmest blanket.

Cozy and snug, faith is a muff for my soul,

Sieve for my doubt,

Repository for the yearnings I fancy in silence, 

The default for releasing uncertainty and fear.

It never fails to bolster, hearten, comfort.

Like Red Bull, it gives me wings,

And in its promise, my spirit takes the flight of hope.

Call me crazy - some have - but let me indulge!

After all, instructions may get the job done, 

But faith yields possibility - a whole lot more fun.