Katie Beth Curtis
Everything in my life comes back to the cross, symbolized by this cross, and that which it represents: Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Every person’s life is determined by the standards, values, and beliefs he holds and the strength with which he holds to them. My personal beliefs about God not only affect the way I see life, but determine the very person I am.
The power of sincere faith gives a unique strength to living life. Faith in something outside of an individual or his life gives him something to live for beyond mere survival. It is said sometimes that the strength of people of great faith is not so much in the power of what they believe but in the strength of their belief itself. “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see.” By its very definition, faith implies believing and hanging on to something which is unproven or as yet unknown. But faith is also standing on that unproven belief with absolute, total conviction of its truth. Faith is no support without that complete conviction of truth. People have done great things believing in dreams and ideals which were false, but none of them did those awesome things and made those great sacrifices believing their beliefs to be false. The strength with which they made the tremendous sacrifices necessary for their ideals came only from absolute conviction of their truth and purity. Faith is only valid as a source of strength when it is based on utter surety. I believe unshakably in the existence of God, the God of the Bible, and in the absolute truth of that Bible, knowing that it is something which I will always have to accept by faith. However, I also believe that these beliefs are validated as truth in every aspect of creation and human nature. This unshakeable faith gives me definite purpose for living.
The power of faith prevents against the loss of purposeless living, but only faith in truth assures a life lived to good purpose. This good purpose is found only on the pathway of absolute truth, not on the detours of misguided philosophies. The truth of my faith in God and in salvation through His Son Jesus Christ is as important as my belief itself. I believe that everything in science and logic, when examined with the most detached, objective, scientific reasoning fundamentally proves the existence of a Supreme and Sovereign Being. And I believe that every psychological examination of human nature, mankind, and personal emotions proves this Divine Being to be a Personal God who cares about His Creation. I believe in this based on sincere faith which gives me purpose, but I also believe in it based on conclusive evidence of its truth. Because I believe what I believe about God and the Bible to be absolute truth, I know that I have not only a belief in truth but a foundation of absolute truth to turn to in any
circumstance. I have a foundation of truth to base my life upon and a secure beacon to look toward for light. I have a never-changing absolute standard with which to examine every area and motive of my life. I have direction and absolute confidence that that direction is true. Because of this I can stand on my beliefs unshaken by others rejection and disagreement and I can live by them at the cost of enormous personal sacrifice and self-denial.
“The charge I’m
entrusted with is to
please someone
who’s already
pleased with me.”
Beyond even the power of purpose and direction, is the fulfillment of true identity. Every person looks for a sense of personal placement and identity. The heartache and pain of every failed relationship or unaccomplished goal only plants that longing deeper and deeper within their heart. Every relationship, every career, and every accomplishment becomes their definition of who they are. But dreams can fail and relationships can break and a person is left unsure of their place again. I have found a place and an identity apart from what I do and even who I am. I have found an awesome and amazing God who loves me endlessly and completely. This God loves me even at the cost of His Son’s death on a cross to win the freedom to accept me and love me just as I am with every flaw, every sin and every failure forgiven and paid for. A love that could be given at such a cost can never be shaken by any amount of failure and weakness. My identity and security will never change if I fail in a relationship or fall short in an ambition. The charge I’m entrusted with is to please someone who’s already pleased with me. This gives me the confidence to step into the unknown unafraid of the possibility of failure. So far from allowing in me an indifference to excelling, this security challenges me to reach for the impossible and give myself wholeheartedly to all I put my mind to. Security in my identity pushes me to give myself fully and selflessly in relationships, to challenge myself to dreams that daunt and frighten me, and to push myself beyond my personal limitations to be all that I can be, secure that my failure or their failure will not determine or destroy who I am.
A life of purpose, of direction, and of identity is a life that can be fully lived. A person confident in where he’s going and convinced of why he’s going there is capable of facing every obstacle in his way with undoubting perseverance. A person secure in who he is, is capable of rising above his mistakes and learning from them, moving into uncharted waters and facing failure fearlessly. My belief in God has given me the freedom to live life to the fullest and the confidence, the courage, and the strength to face every obstacle in my way to being all I’m meant to be.
-Katie Beth Curtis