Having Faith in the Most Tumultuous Times....

Do you BELIEVE?  My friend Anastasia and how she saved me

I don't practice my religion often, although I should.  I'm an ordinary Christian, registered, a believer.  When I'm in church I'm my best ME.  I wish I went more often.  I try.  I watch Joel Osteen when I'm home; to catch up on rest, relaxation, and not be stressed by any hectic schedule with four kids-I love Joel's message. As many people might say, Sunday is my only day off-to sleep in, to do absolutely nothing.  My faith in tact.

After 9/11 I strengthened my faith.  I went to church every Sunday, joined spiritual groups, and grew as a Christian.  Then I went back to a place where I wasn't in church almost close to not-at-all.  This wasn't good.  It's almost as if I just can't stay consistent in my church attendance.  I loose interest, I get bored, my mind wanders and I find I need a break, although I can attest to this one true fact-I BELIEVE.  I carry an unending faith in my Father and the miracles within.  I believe in the ever present concepts of good and evil and I believe in the power and simplicity of PRAYER.  It works.

Both my husband and I have experienced miracles in our lives and it forever changed the course of our belief systems.  I think it gave us the belief that going forward you will never doubt ME again.

Recently my husband has been threatened by an employee who was let go from his organization.  I cannot tell you when I heard that how that made me feel.  My husband is my world and I his.  For someone to even speak of him in any way other than amazing is like sacrilegious.  He is there to help people in his organization, not hurt them.  I say to myself, I have faith.  Keep your faith Stephanie.

It angered me when I heard this news.  He left this morning for a charity softball tournament and I held him close before he left for Philadelphia.  My daughters and husband are my main reasons for happiness.  They give me JOY, they bring me laughter, they brought back the faith in ME but before they arrived I prayed and prayed.

It doesn't matter what I read in the press, or watch on CNN or FOX News, I still believe one UNIVERSAL TRUTH-

Believing that there is a GOD and his son JESUS died on the cross for you to give us LIFE and that it be abundant and good, not the other way around.  You see it's also in our POSITIVE THINKING that a faith arrives and stays put.  When I'm negative and my thinking is poor, I'm not with HIM.

Are we thinking in the positive, with love, and in GOD's name?  Or are we thinking doom, gloom, and negativity?

I don't have all the answers about religion but I know the choice that feels good and right and healthy and I've seen first hand the consequences of such thinking but it started with a SEED and that was my belief in HIM.  I read the good book, concentrated on its principles, and let it be what it would be.  I know it sounds simple but it evolved over time..........

THE MIRACLE: When I experienced a miracle through the other side, I knew it was not through Buddha, karma, or through playing the Lottery, or through atoms exploding in outer space!  It was through my heart felt prayers, through helping my friend who was dying of cancer and praying over her to heal and her eventual passing that she would heal me. When she came to me in the after life, I was able to see the light and I knew in that moment, in my body, my mind, my spiritual gut, it was GOD.

It's hard to explain it to people who've never experienced this lightness but it does exist and it changed me for good.  It doesn't mean I don't have hard days or challenges ahead, but it gave me something on that day in April 2010 I didn't have before: An UNRELENTING FAITH.

There will always be one thing or another that will get your attention and call you to test your thinking and very possibly your beliefs, but where will you stand on the last day, the day you are called to answer, what do you believe?  I know what my answer will be.....................I'm praying for you.

.