What Does It Mean To Have Faith In Jesus Christ?

This week's lesson can be found here.

When I think of faith I think of my favorite scripture :

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thy own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  -Proverbs 3:5-6

This subject of trusting in the Lord is another great topic that I think works well with the Candy Bar Object Lesson.

It's easy to forget that we don't see the WHOLE PICTURE like He does.  It's like a man trying to describe to a fish in a little pond what a human's world looks like.  The fish has only seen rocks, water, and a little bit of algae.  But he'll never be able to comprehend sunsets and mountains and the stars in the sky.

Ask each young woman to find and share a story from the scriptures in which someone acted on his or her belief in Jesus Christ

I don't have a degree in psychology or anything, but I can definitely tell you that I have some sort of phobia when it comes to big, open water.  I think I'm afraid of what's in it.  If I'm put in a situation where I'm swimming too deep in the ocean or if I'm standing on a dock next to a huge boat and while looking down can't see where the bottom of the boat is, my heart starts pounding and I lose my breath.  Just typing about it makes me sweat.

I think because of that I love the story of Peter walking on water. 

"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

"But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

"And he said, Come.  And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

"And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

P.S.  Liz Lemon Swindle is one of my favorite artists

What can we learn from this scripture story?  I've been trying so hard to dissect it.  Maybe Peter's initial thought when he asked to go out to Christ was an action of faith.  Sometimes I feel like we don't give him enough credit.  He chose to step out on the water when everyone else stayed behind in the safety of the ship.  I didn't really understand why he was looked on as having so little faith when he took this courageous step that others wouldn't take.  No one is perfect.  Almost everyone it seems would have a glimpse of doubt or fear when they look around at the dangers and storms surrounding them.  Maybe that's why it frustrates me so much.  Because we aren't perfect and would make the same mistakes as Peter. If we are doing something as impossible as walking on water, there shouldn't be a single reason to fear that Christ isn't in control.  But how many times do we catch ourselves doing just that?  Having all these reasons to trust in the Lord and believe, yet we still find moments of weakness where we doubt everything will be all right.

HAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST MEANS RELYING COMPLETELY ON HIM--TRUSTING IN HIS INFINITE POWER, INTELLIGENCE, AND LOVE.  IT INCLUDES BELIEVING HIS TEACHINGS.  IT MEANS BELIEVING THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THINGS, HE DOES.  REMEMBER THAT BECAUSE HE HAS EXPERIENCED ALL YOUR PAINS, AFFLICTIONS, AND INFIRMITIES, HE KNOWS HOW TO HELP YOU RISE ABOVE YOUR DAILY DIFFICULTIES.  HE HAS "OVERCOME THE WORLD" AND PREPARED THE WAY FOR YOU TO RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE.  HE IS ALWAYS READY TO HELP YOU AS YOU REMEMBER HIS PLEA: "LOOK UNTO ME IN EVERY THOUGHT; DOUBT NOT, FEAR NOT"

-TRUE TO THE FAITH (2004) PAGE 54