"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for….   But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." 

"God’s grandeur is beyond understanding."  "One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works."  They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds." 

"'This is my beloved Son, listen to him.'  Suddenly, looking around they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them." 

"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for"….  (Hebrew: 1-7)  What is hoped for, but not necessarily asked, received, or seen by us immediately.  In the midst of struggles we may often be tempted to cry out to God "Why me?"  "Why this struggle?"  Many times if it weren’t for the struggle we may never have grown or changed in a way that has allowed us to use the gifts and talents given to us by God.  When we live our lives with faith in God’s plans we come to realize that God’s plans, in the end, do work out for the best!

Faith, is a concept that many people struggle with daily and yet for me, faith is what has carried me through some difficult experiences.  Faith can be taught by example and sometimes by simple explanations.  A student recently explained faith to me in this example.  He said, "When you are a child and become ill in the middle of the night you call out for your mother with the belief (faith) that she will come to check on you."  As a child you believe that your mother will come and ease your suffering, thus a faith experience.  Just as a mother will check on an ill child, God checks on us if only we call out for God's comfort, guidance, and loving care.

In Psalms 145: 4-5, it states, "One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works."  My own personal faith developed and grew initially by the words and actions of my mother.  In her life I saw many struggles and yet the overriding faith in God allowed her to put those struggles in God’s care.  Here at Creighton we are so privileged to be able to proclaim the goodness of God, recognize all that God has given us and then, to turn to God for guidance when decisions are made and actions need to be taken.  As an institution of higher education we are given opportunities to have "one generation praise God’s deeds to the next," both in the academic classrooms and also in our daily interactions with the wonderful students, faculty, staff, and administration at Creighton.

As stated in Mark 9: 2-13, "Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them."  Maybe we would be wise to live our lives by looking around us and seeing only Jesus.  Would we be afraid?  Would we experience a blissful peace?  Living our lives, thinking that God is the one we need to give our cares and worries to, while opening our hearts to the words of God allows us to live our lives with Jesus clearly at our side.  Our commitment of listening to God’s messages and living our lives as God has intended can ease our daily struggles.