My pastor talks about this. I never thought of faith this way before, but he’s right.  Our experience shapes us much more than our faith does because, if faith never becomes experience, it wanes.  It’s fragile.  Once I had faith in God. Now I have experience.  I’ve experienced God in my life, what He can do because of what He HAS done.

We don’t think about experience as it relates to God. We usually only talk about our faith.  However, we DO talk about experience where other things in life are concerned…like chronic issues, specifically, chronic illness.

I know what chronic illness feels like because I’ve experienced it for over 35yrs. Until I came to know my current dr, I thought of it in defeatist terms because my experience was with drs who didn’t help or couldn’t help me.  It was harder and harder to have faith that a dr would help because of the experiences I had.  But once I met my new dr, I had faith renewed that he could help me.  The fact that he has to some degree gives me experience with him and his expertise which strengthens my faith in him as a dr.

In this jaded world, we are skeptical until something is proven.  Our faith grows after we’ve seen what it can do.  Faith comes only after we have experience.  After we have a good experience, we tell others about it.  I told others about my dr after he began making strides to help me.  Only after you’ve seen a good movie or had a good meal at a restaurant do we recommend it to others.  First comes experience and then faith.

Our relationship with God does the exact opposite though we don’t usually think of it in those terms.  Before we can feel God’s presence in our lives, we have to have faith.  After our faith allows us to begin to know the Almighty, only then do we begin to experience a relationship with Him and that experience becomes real.  Think of it this way.  You have to have a kind of faith in people to get to know them on more than a superficial level.  Once you do, you experience them in a more real and tangible way.  Once you have a close relationship with someone, you can tell what he will or will not do before he will or will not do it.  This gives you a level of faith in that person’s character so high that it can withstand any rumor others may throw at you about him.

Why do I share this with you here on a blog for chronic illness?  Because we have a level of faith and experience with our illness that can either be helped or hindered by our faith or lack of faith in our Creator.  Why are some able to have joy despite the pain and fatigue and brain fog and all the other negative chronic illness issues while others cannot seem to?  In my experience, it is their belief in a higher power than themselves who is ever present in their lives and desires to help them through the tough times.

If you have not come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I invite you to at least think about it. I’m not saying He will heal you, or that you’ll never experience pain or sorrow or illness or struggle.  I’m just saying that it will be easier knowing He loves you and will help you through the valleys of life until that day when you can be with Him forever in a place where there is no more pain, tears or fear.