Faith: Ashley Wilson

What is the definition of faith? Why do we need faith in our day to day lives? How are ways we can use faith in different situations? How are we able to increase our faith? All of these are examples that I have found I’ve asked when pondering the word faith.

To answer the first question, what is the definition of faith, we are able to look at Alma 32:21 which states, “…faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”[1] I absolutely love this definition of faith. I love it because it means that you don’t need to have a perfect knowledge of everything and there is a reason why we don’t. In my Philosophy class last semester at Salt Lake Community College, there was a lot of controversy over what faith was. A lot of people argued that “oh, well faith is just when you don’t know the answer to some things and just use faith as an excuse so that no one can say you’re wrong.” I think that a lot of the people who said this are just looking at it with the wrong perspective. Yes, faith is when you don’t know something for sure, but that doesn’t mean that you are going to use it for an excuse. Although, sometimes it would be nice to be all-knowing (believe me I wish especially during college), it would not benefit us throughout our lives because we would not have half the experiences we encounter throughout our lives.

Furthermore, to answer the question why do we need faith in our day to day lives, I think the answer is simple. We need faith to believe that things are going to work out for our good and for our benefit. This goes right along with “it will all work out” and “it will happen if and when it’s supposed to.” In the May 2003 Ensign, Elder Richard G. Scott stated,
“God uses your faith to mold your character. Character is the manifestation of what you are becoming. Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. Your faith can guide you to those correct choices. Clearly, it is what you do and what you think about that determine what you are and what you will become. Therefore, the choices you make need to be inspired by the Lord. Others can encourage you to make the right decisions, but those choices must not be prescribed by them. You need to ponder, pray, and exercise faith to willingly make choices consistent with the teachings of the Master. Such choices are made with trust in things that are believed and when acted upon will be confirmed. Only enough guidance is given to lead you aright and not to weaken your growing character. That guidance will solidify your trust in Heavenly Father and the Savior.”[2]
This quote relates to so many trials that have happened to me throughout my life. For example, when I first applied to BYU I didn’t get in. It was so hard to accept the fact that I didn’t get in because I knew that I belonged here. When I talked to by brother about it he gave me the whole “you’ll come when it’s right” speech. At first I just wanted to scream that I didn’t want to hear that right then but then when I got thinking about it, he was right. I still don’t know the exact reason why I had to wait to come here, but I do know that I would not have met all the awesome people I have if I had come down sooner.

Similarly, we can and should use faith in every situation that we experience. We should have faith when things are going really well and also when we are going through the hardest times. I think a lot of times, we need faith to face and get through all of our afflictions. We need faith the he is going to help us in everything that we need and ask of him. As stated in 1 Nephi 15:11, “Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.”[3] In this scripture it also shows that along with faith, you need to believe that it’s actually going to happen and you also have to be doing what you should to receive the things you are in need of.

Being able to increase our faith requires only a couple of key things. One key concept is we need to be going to church, reading our scriptures, and doing the things that we need to be doing. We can also increase our faith by constant prayer. In the March 2002 Ensign, Elder John K. Carmack stated “To summarize, we do not increase our faith by following a formula, although the ingredients of fasting, prayer, and righteous living are part of that process. Increasing our faith requires trusting the Lord with our whole souls. We cannot say, “We have done enough and deserve to rest.” Nor does the increase come through definitions, logic, or philosophy.”[4] Trusting in the Lord is also a very important key in increasing your faith due to the fact that having faith is pretty much trusting that everything will work out according to his will for you and your specific plan.

Faith is one of the most important subjects in the gospel. Without faith, the gospel wouldn’t have been restored to the earth because Joseph Smith needed a lot of faith to go through all of trials and tribulations throughout his life. All the prophets also need faith to be able to lead the church and teach us the things the Savior wants us to know. We use faith everyday whether we notice or not. Faith helps us move along in our lives and is very important.
-Ashley Wilson

Sources
[1] Alma 32:21
[2] Scott, Richard G. “The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing.” Ensign May 2003
[3] 1 Nephi 15:11
[4] Carmack, John K. “Lord, Increase our Faith.” Ensign March 2002