“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

When I left high school and home to head for Kenya, I was scared and unsure of where I was going. It was exciting to leave home and begin defining who I was, yet at the same time, I wanted to stay behind and repair some relationships that had only just begun to blossom. Like many young people, we often argue with our parents, grandparents, siblings, and guardians because we think we know better than they do. However, I also wanted to make amends for the pain and hurt I had caused my family, but I did not have the time.

The most comforting thing that pushed me forward was the reassurance of God’s Word: “I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. Those simple words helped me understand that God saw the desire in my heart, and I knew then that I had to have faith in Him to make everything right. I had to trust Him, even in the most difficult and confusing situations, believing that He had a better plan for me.

Most often, when we walk through life with everything at our disposal, we praise ourselves. Yet when trials come, we lose heart because we were unprepared for the worst. I have always thought of faith as a mystery that needs to be investigated. The pieces do not always fit together like a puzzle, but you keep believing that somehow they will come together. A detective follows every clue in an investigation, trusting that each clue will eventually lead to the bigger picture. In the same way, I live my life in expectation of the bigger picture, even though I cannot see it yet. I believe God has called me to greater things than what I can see today. The experiences I have gone through, including the hardships and violations, are all part of a greater plan that I know God has for me.

I would like to encourage anyone who feels as though they are falling apart and believes there is no hope. Do not look at what other people have and assume they have it all. Instead, ask yourself: “What if there is something greater than what I see right now? What if there is more to my life than my present reality? What if I was meant for a greater purpose than this?” Pick yourself up and have faith in the impossible. Hebrews 11:2–38 reminds us of great men and women who, by faith, followed God’s voice and believed in His plans for them more than in the plans they had for their own lives. Moses, for example, “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Many followed in faith, yet “none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

One last thing I would like to mention is my concern about the policies around us. In situations that could be addressed before they become more difficult, people often complicate the issues by examining them from every possible angle and analyzing them endlessly. It is important to understand these issues, but if we spend all our time debating different ideas, we risk losing the heart of the matter. Faith means looking beyond the immediate moment and considering the long-term consequences of our actions. If every solution to our contemporary issues is destined to fail because our leaders lack faith, then we will never move forward with conviction. The effectiveness of a project may not be felt overnight, but with faith, patience, and continual nurturing, its impact can be seen in the long term. Faith is believing in what we do not yet see. When we begin to see not only with our eyes and minds, but also with our hearts, we will find the courage to act, the strength to persevere, and the hope to move forward into the greater purpose God has prepared for us.