Faith is Everything

Yesterday I was flipping through radio stations in my car when I came across the popular song “Imagine” by John Lennon.  Can we all just agree that it is easily one of the worst songs ever written?  Last year, there was a video of a group of celebrities taking turns singing lines of the song that went viral.  For some reason, it seems to be a type of anthem that groups of people unite around when life is hard.  Aside from the dull, depressing melody that drags on and the whiny singing, the lyrics are quite unpleasant.  “Imagine there’s no heaven, it’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky.  Imagine all the people living for today.”  I am not sure why anybody would want to imagine this, as if this would make life better or solve all the world’s problems.  Hearing this song, I noticed the obvious theme that says life would be better without faith and without God.  This could not be further from the truth.  I started thinking about faith and how vital it is to my life.  To put it simply, without God, what are we living for?

​Do you ever stop and think about what life without faith would be like?  In the eyes of the world, it’s just about growing up, getting through school, and then getting a job so you can work the rest of your life.  Then you die.  Oh and don’t forget to be a “good person.”  The world says we don’t need God.  Our society tells us that there isn’t much of a real purpose to life but to focus on power, pleasure, greed, and doing whatever “makes you happy” without consequences.  What is the purpose in all of this?  What is the end goal in this?  

I sometimes think about how I would respond to certain situations or get through difficult times without faith.  I often think back to a conversation with my uncle at my grandma’s funeral.  “How do people without faith deal with the loss of someone?”  Without faith, there’s no hope, no peace, and no purpose in the suffering, trials, and challenges.  Having faith means knowing that we do not walk alone.

On the flip side, it seems like, without faith, it would be harder to appreciate the blessings in my life and recognize everything good in my life as a gift.  Sure, without faith, we would still experience good times and the love of people around us, but who would we thank?

To sum it up, in the words of St. John Paul II, “The most beautiful and stirring adventure that can happen to you is the personal meeting with Jesus, who is the only one who gives real meaning to our lives.”  Each day of our lives, we have the opportunity to encounter Jesus and come to know and love Him more.  It is through our meeting with Him that we can love and serve others.  Of course, this does not mean that people who don’t have faith do not have a purpose.  Every single life is a gift and has purpose and meaning, whether one knows God or not.  Instead of imagining a world without faith, imagine a world where every person comes to realize that life has purpose and that we are here for a reason bigger than ourselves.  And that reason is Jesus Christ.  Some may want to imagine a world without heaven.  I’ll take a world with faith where we can hope in the promises Christ offers.  What about you?