Running Head: FAITH PERSPECTIVE ESSAY

Faith Perspective Essay

Caitlin Leffingwell
Eastern University

Faith Perspective Essay

Just reading the phrase role of faith in my life felt daunting to me at first, until suddenly this
realization hit me: faith is my life. As Galatians 2:20 sums up, I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me (NIV, emphasis added). To me, such faith means a deep trust in my
Creator and the active rest that comes with ita strong reliance based on love rather than fear. I see God
as my adoptive Father, who loves even sinful me as His own child because His true and perfect son,
Jesus, willingly paid for my sins. These beliefs combine to form a faith that defines my life; it determines
governing principles, it grows through the influence of many wonderful people, and it overflows into
external, meaningful practices.
In regards to the principles that govern my life as a result of my faith, one of the most important
is love. I will be learning how to understand and practice this for the rest of my life, but I believe that it
involves selflessness, faithfulness, and passion. I know that it can lead to heartache in this world, but I
also know that experiencing and offering it is also one of our greatest sources of joy. According to 1 John
4:10-11, This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice
for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (NIV). I believe that
this form of loveso selflessly and powerfully seeking the betterment of others, even at our own costis
both our motivation and our calling, as well as the central element of faith. However, I also know that I
continually fall short of this desire and find myself in constant need of Gods grace. As such, two of the
other core principles that guide my life are grace and hope. The former refers to undeserved generosity,
which I hope to offer just as I have received it. The latter refers to the belief that God has things under
control and is thereby bringing His kingdom of Shalomultimate goodness. Just like love, these
principles stem from my faith in God and my beliefs regarding who He is and what He has done.
As with all elements of life, my faith and the principles that stem from it have been heavily
influenced by the people around me. First and foremost, my parents both have very strong relationships
with Jesus and raised my sister and me with that relationship at the center of our family. My father in
particular went through many health-related difficulties as I grew up, yet demonstrated intimate love for

Faith Perspective Essay

Christ, unconditional grace, and unwavering hope that left a large impact on me. Similarly, my mother is
very honest about her walk with God and is what some call a prayer warrior. In other words, she openly
brings everythingfrom challenge to triumphto Him in a way that has strengthened our family and
carried us through many hard times as well. In addition to these influences, many close friends have also
played an important role in shaping and sustaining my faith over the yearsparticularly as I wrestled
with God during various periods of intense doubt and anger. These sisters and brothers of all ages and
backgrounds have come alongside me to listen, encourage, correct, pray for, and even just hold me, such
that their faithful presence in my life has significantly shaped my faith at pivotal times.
Because of the principles that guide me and the people who influence me, I seek to express my
faith through a variety of practices that are very meaningful to me. Perhaps most importantly, I am
actively involved in a local church body, because I believe that God does not call us to live out our
relationship with Him by ourselves. This does not mean merely attending a service once a week, but truly
being a receiving and contributing member of a worshipful community that works together to learn about
God through His Word, express His love in tangible ways, and bring His Kingdom to this world through
justice, grace, and love. I especially enjoy the chance to worship God by playing the violin for various
worship services! In addition to such corporate forms of worship though, I also set aside time every day to
read the Bible and meditate (think intentionally) about what it says and how I can apply it to my life. This
often entails journaling or doodlinganother favorite activity. Finally, I spend a good deal of time talking
with God throughout the day as I process the craziness of life and what He is doing through all of it. Each
of these practices keeps me focused on the things that truly matter in this life and guides me and those
around me toward living the abundant life that Jesus promises. However, regardless of how meaningful
these practices are to me, my hope is that they will always be only an external mark of an internal reality
and a tangible expression of the relationship with Jesus that marks my faith and is ultimately my source of
life.