Faith is such an important thing to have in life - it guides, protects and comforts. If nothing else, know that there is something bigger and better than the day to day grind helps get you through the day to day grind. But it’s both simple and complex, so here are some thoughts on why faith is important to me and my rule number 1.
Why is it important
The first thing that comes to mind is that it’s the key to the next stage…if you don’t believe you don’t get to experience the real boundaries of existence. What comes next, we don’t really know…but if you don’t believe you don’t have the chance to find out. Now , I always feel that is a bit of a cop-out. Like a logical insurance scheme…and of-course why faith is important runs far deeper.
- Faith is important as an act of ongoing gratitude from which worship flows
- There’s no true equality without God
- There’s no better foundation for how to live your life or make the right choices
- When life gets hard having faith is a comfort - because there are better things to come
- I think it gives you a mental toughness against some of the bad things that can happen in life
How I came to believe (short version)
I’ve written a little bit of my journey in faith - My Testimony
Faith is simple.
At its core, Christianity is incredibly straightforward: love God and love others. As Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39: 37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself (that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others).’
If you think of all the abundance we enjoy on a daily basis, especially compared to a lot of others it’s truly staggering and completely undeserved. That’s Grace, gifts that we don’t deserve. It comes from His love of us and in return he just asks us to love him, and each other. Powerfully simple, and the prize - eternal life John 3:16 “For God so (greatly) loved and dearly prized the world, that He (even) gave His (One and) only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him (as Saviour) shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Also John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus speaks to the promise of eternal life, offering reassurance that faith in Him brings life beyond physical death. His question at the end—“Do you believe this?”—is a personal invitation to trust in His power over life and death.
From this simple choice comes a whole world of complexity…
Faith begins with an open invitation, like a free pass to a circus, only to find that following Jesus means stepping onto a high wire. It’s simple enough to say “yes” with a willing heart, but then that “yes” takes us places we never expected. Maybe that’s the paradox of faith: the initial act of trust is simple, but its journey demands everything from us, uncovering a courage we didn’t know we had. As we inch forward, we discover that Jesus isn’t just at the other end of the wire—He’s right there, helping us balance, catching us when we fall, helping us back on the wire.
Faith gives identity and purpose
Having faith means knowing that God understands me intimately and that my life is part of a greater design. This belief gives my life purpose, turning even small actions into meaningful contributions to a bigger story. Without faith, life might feel random, but with it, every choice finds deeper significance.
Faith, for me, is like an inner compass, guiding me toward lasting values—see some of the other Rules!—and helping me stay grounded, especially in uncertain times. It’s less about following rules and more about nurturing a meaningful relationship with God and those around me.
Faith also connects me with a community of like-minded people. When we moved to West Wales, finding a new church was my first priority, which soon became a network of friends and support in a place where we’d known no one. These relationships go deeper than friendship, giving me encouragement and a sense of family wherever I am. There’s a network of support among Christians worldwide, reminding me that I’m never truly alone.
My identity through faith isn’t tied to possessions or status but anchored in God’s love. It’s a foundation that doesn’t shift with trends or accomplishments, offering stability that endures through life’s changes.
Finally, faith calls me to serve others, following Jesus’ example. It’s not just about personal growth but about making a difference. Whether through small acts of kindness or greater commitments, faith leads me to live with open hands and a compassionate heart, creating a fulfilling and purposeful life.
Faith is a Source of Hope and Resilience
Faith is not only the key to eternal life; it’s also a kind of superpower when life throws challenges your way. Countless times, I’ve faced tough situations and leaned on Him for help—like when you were born and things became complicated, or when your mum had her follow-up health issues, or as I’ve walked with my dad through Parkinson’s Disease. In these testing times, prayer becomes a lifeline. Putting my worries into His hands doesn’t erase them, but it lightens the load, giving me strength and peace.
Faith brings a unique resilience too. Disappointments and setbacks feel different when you trust they’re part of a bigger plan. Knowing “it wasn’t meant to be” helps me move forward without carrying the same weight of frustration or regret. And that underlying hope—that if it’s not working out, it’s simply not the end yet—brings a powerful comfort. Faith truly is a kind of superpower, offering both hope and strength when they’re needed most.
Faith Grows Over Time
Go read My Testimony, and you’ll see that my journey with faith has been anything but straightforward. For a long time, I was firmly in the atheist camp, confident that science held the answers to everything, with any remaining mysteries simply waiting for science to catch up. But over time, things didn’t quite add up, and there was a recurring presence in my life of people with faith. In difficult moments, I found myself praying, and often those prayers were answered in ways I couldn’t ignore. As I looked back, I could see a thread of Jesus running through my life, quietly there, waiting.
Faith grows like a seed—it starts small, sometimes barely noticeable, but over time it pushes its roots deeper, finding strength and grounding in ways we don’t always see right away. My own journey took years, full of questions, doubts, and times I was sure I didn’t believe at all. But God has this way of planting people and moments in your life that gently guide you back to Him. Even in my moments of doubt, I see now that He was there, patient and constant, helping me along.
For many, faith isn’t a sudden flash or an instant conversion. It’s a journey, one that unfolds over time. I’ve known many who found faith later in life, and even for me, it wasn’t until you were born that I truly understood unconditional love—an experience that deepened my appreciation of His love for us. Faith isn’t about rushing to answers or feeling pressured to believe everything all at once. It’s okay if your path to faith is gradual, and it’s okay to have questions along the way. God meets us wherever we are, often in unexpected ways, and He has a plan for each of us. So don’t feel rushed; everything happens at the right time.
Faith often doesn’t make logical sense
A lot of people don’t have faith and enjoy debating with those who do—I know, because I used to be one of them. I enjoy these discussions from the other side now because I understand that, yes, much of faith really does defy logic. After all, you can’t see God or prove His existence, and there are plenty of things faith asks of us that go against conventional wisdom.
How can we forgive others, even when forgiveness isn’t deserved? What about the idea of loving your enemies—something that defies human instinct? Faith often takes traditional ideas of strength and success and turns them upside down. As Scripture says, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10), reminding us that real strength isn’t about self-sufficiency but about relying on something greater.
Faith invites us to hope when circumstances suggest otherwise, to give freely with no expectation of return, and to trust that there’s meaning in suffering, even when we can’t understand it in the moment. It calls us to live generously, forgive completely, and love beyond reason. And throughout history, we see how these choices to live by faith have yielded profound results.
Corrie ten Boom, for instance, survived the horrors of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, yet she chose to forgive even her enemies. After the war, when confronted by one of the guards from the camp who had been cruel to her and her sister, Corrie chose forgiveness over hatred. She credited her faith for giving her the strength to forgive, and her choice to forgive inspired countless others to do the same, proving that love can heal even the deepest wounds.
Even Emperor Julian, known as Julian the Pagan, couldn’t help but acknowledge the compassion of Christians. Though he tried to suppress Christianity, he admitted that Christians cared for their own poor and those outside their community. Their acts of charity and service stood in stark contrast to the values of the time, showing that faith-driven compassion is a powerful force for change.
Martin Luther King Jr. also illustrated how faith can transform not only individuals but entire communities. In his famous sermon “Loving Your Enemies,” King drew from Jesus’ teachings to encourage love over hatred, even for those who sought to harm him. He reminded people that, “hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence,” and only love can break this cycle. King’s commitment to nonviolence in the face of brutality showed that faith-based love is not weak but a radical force for justice and peace.
In many ways, faith operates outside the bounds of logic, asking us to believe, love, and give beyond what makes sense. But these examples show how, when we take that leap, faith leads to unexpected peace, resilience, and a sense of purpose. It’s a choice to believe in something deeper, trusting that there’s more to life than what we can see or prove. And in these powerful examples, we see that faith’s “illogical” actions—loving enemies, forgiving the unforgivable, showing compassion to all—are what bring about true healing and transformation.