Faith for Hope

Hello there and thank you for stopping by my new page, Faith for Hope. For some of you, thank you for taking the chance and reading if you decide to push forward and do so:) All too often there is a profound negativism associated with faith…religion…however you would like to say it. And rightly so if you are looking at the topic from a historical perspective. We remember the Crusades, Jihad, the beheadings, the bombings, the bigotry, the torture at the Inquisition, the forced conversion of indigenous peoples at the hands of clergymen, the burning of witches, sexual abuses in the Catholic Church, etc., etc., etc. We largely remember the horrific on a subject.
Because the horrific and disturbing tends to stick, I want to thank everyone for taking a chance and reading this page. Thank you for reading in the hopes of finding something meaningful and relevant to your personal valley you may be travelling through. The inspiration for this page grew out of one of my Pinterest boards, Keeping the Faith.
The purpose of this page is to inspire hope and to invite you into a more personal part of my life. Also, to explain where my hope wells from. It is not to preach. It is not to judge. It is not to ostracize others. Nor is it to vent anger. I decided to keep my faith-based discussions limited to this page so if you read this blog, you don’t have to peruse the other pages and wonder when you’ll have to duck to avoid any Bible-thumping 🙂
As a whole, this blog is intended as a safe place for all. It is my hope that my readers feel this way also.

Here are my thoughts on why this page is important to me –
1. Anchor point. My faith is my anchor point. I will never be perfect. Being a man of faith doesn’t give me the right to judge others for being the same. A great phrase I heard recently is, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” It makes total sense. Rather, my faith gives me a set a values against which to make decisions and to calibrate my moral compass. Do I fall short? Often? You bet I do! But faith has given me ideals against which I can hold myself personally accountable. No one else. Just. Me. If you’re into performance improvement, you get me 🙂
2. Hope. My faith has given me hope in the storms of adversity and despair. Faith has given me a totally new and counter-intuitive way of viewing my life circumstances. Instead of asking, “why me?” through valleys of despair, I now ask, “what can I learn?” I used to be bitter about hardships. Sometimes I still get that way. But the bitterness has largely given way to understanding and openness. I now try to thank Him for the hardships because it is the lesson learned that is tempering me into a more mature man. This is what I need.
3. Testimony. This is my testimony. My story of triumph through trials; victory through valleys. I hope that these accounts offer hope and comfort to those who are dealing with despair and loneliness. My hope is that you will be able to take away something independent of whether or not you are a person of faith.
Thank you for being here with me.
-Chris
speakoutsocietysite
11/08/2016 at 03:03
When I’m at my darkest, there’s nothing left for me to cling to but to God alone.
It’s good to see you fight off the negativity with your faith and hope. Stay strong!
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erunner
07/08/2015 at 02:02
I’ve learned that many Christians (that is my identity) do not have a grasp of mental illness. This causes victims of mental illness many times to stay in the shadows for fear of being judged. Thankfully steps are being made throughout society, including the church, in recognizing and understanding mental illness. Christians need to know God hasn’t abandoned them during times of silence and suffering and in fact loves them unconditionally. God bless you and may He grant you the desires of your heart. Allan
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Surviving the Specter
07/08/2015 at 08:46
Thank you for your comments, Allan! This is a great move by our religious leaders… much needed, too. There are SO many broken people in this world and that’s what Jesus was all about – reaching out to the broken, sick, and outcast.
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Mom of 3
03/12/2015 at 20:42
I love this and love how you are letting God use you and your experiences to speak to and encourage others. My prayers will be with you in this.
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Surviving the Specter
03/12/2015 at 21:32
Thank you so much, Lisa. He has taken me places that I never thought possible. More importantly, He has brought me back.
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Surviving the Specter
03/01/2015 at 23:10
Thank you, Hello’. I hope the Lord guides me in posting and it speaks to what you may be going through 🙂
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Surviving the Specter
02/26/2015 at 15:26
I’m glad it touched you, H.A. The concept of Faith for Hope took a long time to sink in. It really makes sense to me. I’ve been able to answer the question, “Why me?” It makes a lot of difference for me when I discover the lesson(s) behind my valley walls 🙂
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Hello Anxiety
02/26/2015 at 15:15
Honestly, this struck my heart! It had just been what I was thinking of. This really helped a lot! Faith is hope and I’m just coming to terms that in order to grow you need to face trials and hard times. But, when you come out of them you are a better person for it. Valuable lessons. Such a good verse! Thank you!
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