Faith To Be Faith

One of my favorite quotes is by Boyd K. Packer-
"Faith to be Faith must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence, must go into the unknown, must walk to the edge of the light and then a few steps into the darkness."
In the past twenty five years or so my very existence has been reliant on my faith to walk forward a few steps into the darkness. Whether it was my father's death when I was seventeen. My blindness, or my transplants. I have groped my way through life, like most people, with the hope that it will all work out in the end. The farther I have walked without relying on my eyes to see or my understanding to lean on, the more I have realized that it is only faith that gets any of us out of bed every morning.
Faith that there is a purpose for being. A reason to find joy. A hand to hold and a friend to love.
On days when the darkness is deep and unpierced by the light I don't try to see, I simply believe that this, too, will pass.
A few steps into the darkness will be my story, my life the way I have lived it. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the light I keep my focus on. A friend pointed out to me that as normal as I consider my life to be...Its really not.
Most people don't find their father dead one day after school. Most people don't go blind at the age of 23. Most people don't go through multiple transplants, kidney dialysis, surgery, heart disease, premature childbirth, broken limbs and hearts and emerge still believing life is fantastic.
For every step I take into the darkness, God sheds a ray of sun across my view. This blog is meant to share some of the emotions, fears, triumphs and experiences I have had. Mostly its meant to highlight what the love of God and Good people can do to lift the heart of one another. I like to tell people that I am the poster child for 'If I can do it-You can'. If you need to believe that life could be worse-I might be able to help. If you want to believe there is nothing you can't do-I will believe with you. If you need to laugh at someone so you don't cry-I can take it. Some of my life is worth laughing at. Some of it has to be laughed through to survive. All of it is thanks to a loving Father in Heaven who has never left me alone in the darkness. So I keep walking.
Come along...Just a few steps into the darkness.