Have you ever heard the expression “;Faith precedes the miracle?”; Or how about, “;Keep the faith!”; This simple, five-letter word represents a basic gospel tenet that has had a great impact on my life. While no expert, I've learned a few things regarding faith that may be of some help.

Faith is linked to hope, as stated in the book of Hebrews from the Bible: “;Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”; Faith helps us to feel assured, to have hope, that life's problems can be solved.

But how can we feel 100 percent assured that we won't have difficulties? We can't; there's no guarantee that life will be problem-free. This is where trust comes in.

Faith requires trust—in God, in ourselves, and in others. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “;All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”; Almost everything I do each day involves some amount of trust, e.g., that my family will be safe while away from home or that I'll be able to do my job well.

However, faith doesn't imply blind trust. Instead, I've found that it takes action. Actions start with thoughts, turning negative thoughts to positive ones and then into positive actions can exercise our faith.

  For me, it is hard to be positive when I'm stressed and overwhelmed. Putting faith in action usually means taking a step back from the situation, saying a quiet prayer, and then carrying on as best I can, all the while trusting in God that things will work out. Eating chocolate helps!

Faith cancels out fears and vice versa. I've learned that fear blocks the opportunity to grow our faith. Do we let fear take over where our hearts and brains are supposed to be? Or do we train our thoughts and actions to be positive? I'm familiar with that, too.

Finally, when I think of faith, I remember the quiet strength of my grandmother whose kind thoughts of service touched the lives of her family and friends. Faith grows when we forget our own problems long enough to offer a hand to someone else in need.

This whole process takes practice. Is it easy? No, but trying to increase my faith each day is definitely worth it.