Hebrews 11 is such a rich chapter in describing what faith is and how it pleases the Lord. I would encourage everyone to read it. I thought about the saints of old that were described in the chapter and how many refer to it as the “Hall of Faith.” This encourages us to read about how so many people have overcome in life by trusting in God. This also got me thinking about my own personal “Hall of Faith” with the people I know who have inspired me.
God has placed many people in my life that I love and admire. These people have suffered with me in this jungle we call life, and some of them have endured battles in which I'll never comprehend the pain they went through. Seeing their faith in God makes me a stronger believer for it inspires me and increases my own faith in God.
My wife is one such person that has overcome an unspeakable personal tragedy in her life, and she overcame by faith. In the time we have been together and through the hardships we've shared together I've seen her grow into a warrior in Christ. She inspires me to be the best Christian I can be, and without her by my side I don't know where I'd be. My kids, I hope can learn from her example as they get older. I see glimpses in each of them that inspired me too.
My grandpa (or paw paw, as I called him) Adam Davis has really been an inspiration to me as he instilled maybe the earliest seeds of faith in me. I can remember him sharing bible stories with me, and in particular the story of Noah's life. I remember at the age of 5 telling a woman on a Greyhound bus about how God saved Noah and his family on the ark. This I remember, made my paw paw so proud, and early on I wanted to be just like him someday.
My mother made sure we went to church while growing up and I can never thank her enough for this as it helped to water the seed of faith that my paw paw (her father) planted. My uncle and aunt, Ronald and Judy Ward have been an inspiration to me as well. They have helped my mother and us children during hard times as we grew up.
My uncle Ron is an ordained minister with a deep head knowledge of the bible, but what shines the most out of him to me is that he is an actual “doer of the word” as described in the book of James. He has been there for my paw paw in his final days battling cancer. He has helped others in the family as well. He is quick to lend a hand in helping his neighbors. I believe this is what God sees the most in his life and he will be rewarded for in heaven one day. He inspires me.
My pastor in North Carolina Steve Watson has been a mentor to me in the Lord. He has taught me so much, but more was caught than taught, for this man is one of a few people I know who walks closely with God and lives it, and the way he cares for others is clearly seen. He has been an inspiration to me.
My wife's parents, Arvel & Janet Adams, have overcome many trials in life and now are blessed to be older saints still trusting in the Lord. They will tell you that it was Jesus that has helped them weather the many storms of life.
Several people I know in the family have really inspired me as I've seen them hold steadfast to their faith in Christ while battling cancer. They know who they are and how much I cherish them being in my life. As they've each battled this they have comforted each other and others who are going through similar circumstances. They have raised awareness to the fight against cancer and have each glorified God for comforting and healing them. They all inspire me with their faith.
My sister Desiree, a single mother, has inspired me recently as she is going through a situation right now and blogging about it to show others in need what steps they can take. This inspires me because most people would be self-absorbed, but she is doing something productive by creating something to help others and I believe God will bless her and make Himself known to her as she does this, for helping out people in need is the heartbeat of Jesus.
I've had the blessing of being employed by men who have modeled Christian ethics in their business practices, my current boss included, and they have inspired me to want to do my work as unto the Lord.
Why do we sometimes go through struggles in life?
I believe God allows it for 3 reasons. We will first of all seek after Him. He loves us and wants us to seek Him. He wants to blow our minds with the love and blessings He has for us. In fact, if you read the bible you see that time after time, he seems to enjoy proving His love to His people. There it is, time after time, God pulling people out of hopeless situations. People at the end of their rope with no where to look but up – when they do look up and seek God, they find Him! Oh, how He loves you and me!
The second reason we go through trials is He wants us to become more like His Son Jesus, who set the primary example on how to live a Godly life when He Himself walked the earth. As we suffer, we can look to God for the answers, and He leads us to His word where we can see the Truth. We read the teachings of Christ and learn from His ways. God uses His Son, but also His people who reflect His Son during the hardships of life to speak into our life and show us His love.
This leads me into a third reason for why we experience trials in life, so that we may become those people that show His love to others that are suffering. If we have been through a tough situation in our life we become more empathetic to others dealing with the same problems. We are able to share our own experience with them, share how God helped us through it, and also what steps we took to get through it. Sometimes the greatest ministries are birthed out of a tragedy.
There are more people in my life than I can blog about, but God has blessed me to know them. My faith is increased by their testimonies. These are just some of the people in my personal Hall of Faith!
