Having Faith, In Others

Do you have a catchphrase?

For Bugs Bunny, it was “What’s up doc?” Walter Cronkite had, “that’s the way it is.”

Having a catchphrase is one way to connect a phrase or sentiment with a person. It distills something about who they are into a memorable line.

I have tried to make “You can do it, I believe in you” my catchphrase. I repeat it often and mean it. I have found that many people struggle to believe in themselves. They find the challenges of life overwhelming and don’t envision themselves as someone who can overcome adversity and find success. This poverty of identity is something of a pandemic among clients I work with at Hope Clinic. Many of them have been lost, forgotten and ignored for so long that they have begun to believe that they are intrinsically lost people, forgettable people, and ignorable people. It breaks my heart.

Genesis chapter one tells us that God created human beings in his own image and as such, each person has intrinsic dignity.

In fact, the human person, as a living image- bearer of God, is the most sacred thing most of us encounter every day. Do we honor the people we encounter this way? Do we treat each person as someone who is dearly known and loved by God?

Too often it is easy to get lost in our own world. It’s easy to ignore the people around us and their stories because we have become so engrossed in our own story. When we start to have faith in God’s story it helps us to see people from God’s perspective. Suddenly there is tremendous potential in every life because God has tremendous love and grace for every life. My hope is that we can all become faith builders in the lives of others.

Action for Today

What is one story in your own life where someone communicated they had faith in you when you didn’t have faith in yourself?
What difference did that make?
What’s one way you can treat others like they are bearers of God’s image, showing they are valued and worthy of dignity?