Faith makes all things possible*

Faith is personal, yet universal in nature and application.

Synonymous with belief and trust, faith is inherent in each one of us. In our thoughts and actions, we have faith, not just in matters of religion, but also in the way we live our life.

Faith is linked to trust, as manifested in the statements, "i believe in you," and "Believe in yourself."

"I trust you," signifies faith, and so does this: "In God, we trust."

From a song, "Walk with faith in your heart...and you'll never walk alone," or in church song, "We walk by faith and not by sight," or Cher's "If you believe in love," there's this thing called faith in our life.

What are we without faith? No hope to rise up, better ourselves and become victorious? No hope of overcoming adversity because we're "walking dead?"

Faith can lead us to new adventure in life. Take education, for example. Education is a component of faith. How? If we have faith, we have the ability to empower ourselves to do great things, not only for ourselves but also for others. With education, we can learn something new each day. We have faith to influence others and make a difference in the world, no matter how great or small.

Learning never stops, because we have faith. If we don't have faith, we lose the ability to learn to make a difference in the world.

With faith, education is always possible, and so is success. But, of course, it depends on one's definition of success. Overall, faith is the defining factor in learning, acquiring or obtaining education and information, and eventually in attaining one's success.

Faith is the driving force that keeps us alive, dreaming and making a difference for others. We still believe in the goodness of humanity, amidst a cloud of doubt in the back of our mind.

With faith, all things can be possible, because we have programmed ourselves to believe that our positivity or optimism supersedes our negative thoughts.

With faith, we can't be left alone, in desolation, in state of nothingness, because we believe in goodness over evil, love over hate, unity over divisiveness.

Faith binds us together, as evidenced in churches. Faith enables us to keep moving forward, to continue living for our dreams. It is the most important thing we have to survive and to succeed. It is the only thing we have to counter hopelessness and fear, to overcome obstacles, changes and challenges.

We can learn from and educate others because we have faith in ourselves and others. We believe we can change and accept change for the better. Because of faith, we can move mountains; we can treat or cure disease; we can eradicate or minimize poverty, people's pain and suffering.

Faith keeps us safe and at peace with ourselves and others. Trusting our government, our leaders and fellow citizens is a manifestation that faith plays a big part in our life.

Faith in God, our Almighty Father, is a guiding force that can save us from a lot of temptations, bad activities and thoughts that (prevaricate or) lie about what is good and what is truth.

-Chris A. Quilpa, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Suffolk. Email him at chris.a.quilpa@gmail.com.

*Appeared in the Opiniion page of the award-winning Suffolk News-Herald, Friday, January 29, 2016. For more information, visit www.suffolknewsherald.com.