In my office at Good Samaritan Clinic, a rock on my desk displays the following scripture: “Faith is being sure of what you hope for, and certain of what you do not see. ~ Hebrews 11:1″
That word — “faith” — is one of my favorite words in the English language.
What is faith?
Dictionary.com‘s lists several possible definitions of “faith”. Five of them are listed below:
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
What does faith mean to me?
As I mentioned, “faith” is one of my favorite words. Here are my personal responses to the dictionary definitions, as I think about Good Samaritan Clinic:
- I have faith in the Clinic’s staff. I have faith in their abilities, faith in their passion for the Clinic’s mission, faith that they’ll come to work every day and do their very best to care for our patients.
- I have faith that amazing things will happen. I have faith that just the right volunteers or resources will appear at the Clinic at exactly the right time. I have faith that people will continue to invest their time, energy, and money in the Clinic’s ministry — in spite of the current economy. Amazing, unexplained events happen on a regular basis at Good Samaritan Clinic.
- I have faith in God. I believe in God’s goodness, mercy, and grace. I believe in practicing the Golden Rule. I believe in helping those who cannot help themselves. I believe in helping the “least of these”.
- I have faith in the power of unity, where the staff and volunteers of the Clinic are all working together for one purpose — improved health and quality of life for our patients.
- I am a Christian. However, here at the Clinic, people from various countries who practice various faiths/religions all share a common passion for healing the sick. It is truly an interdenominational, interreligious organization.
Today is going to be an awesome day at the Clinic. I just know it.
