When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on earth? 
– Luke 18:8

Faith is taking risks.

Faith is saying ‘yes’ to do the impossible
with the nothing you have,
just because your Master said so
– like feeding the 5,000 with the 2 fish and 5 loaves (Mk 8).

Faith is leaving behind the well-known, the fame, the respected name;
the home where everybody knows who you are and what you did
– just as Abraham did.

He choose the unknown over the well-known, the uncertain over the certain,
the alien over the indigenous.
He left behind everything he could have become.
Rejected the place
which served him as a reference of frame.

By faith he made a decision that left him alone or misunderstood,
risking his reputations, his friendships, his home, his respect
and all his circle of influence.
By faith he made a decision which easily could led him to nonsuccess.

Faith is facing our greatest fears
and acting as if those wouldn’t even exist.

Faith is investing your talents and not preserving them (Mt 25:14-30).

Growth only comes through risk-taking faith.
The two options we face are growth or grave.
We either grow or we die
– just as the useless servant as he gave an account.

Faith is moving, stepping out
not knowing where the road will lead you,
focusing on the One you follow and trusting that He will hold you
because what ultimately matters is not the course,
but the King whom you follow.

Faith is knocking on closed doors with the hope
that your relentless pounding unfolds the locking.

Faith is embracing the pain.

By faith Abraham embraced the pain
that came with leaving behind his reference of frame.

By faith he made hard decisions that hurt those he loved the most.

Faith leads to tears over the hard decisions you make.

Faith comes with lots of losses before it brings the many gains.
“Come and you will see” – says Jesus (John 1:39).
You can’t switch that array.

Faith is moving without seeing.

First embrace the pain of going,
then you can enjoy the beauty of seeing.

Faith is trusting that the One who called you
will wipe away the tears you shed
over the many losses you had.

Faith overcomes betrayal

Being betrayed is when love, care, help,
protection, attention and time is promised,
without ever given.

Being betrayed is to be left alone with your fear and pain.

Being betrayed is being unknown, unrecognized and unappreciated
for your tireless service and for the sufferings you endured
for the common good.

Being betrayed is being misunderstood
regarding your motives and the heart of your move.

Betrayal always leaves
a cold and empty hole
in the center of your soul,
a deep crack and break
that makes your heart ache.

Betrayal always leads to death.
That was the case with the Lord
when Judas with a kiss turned him over to be thorn.

Something dies when someone betrays us: a relationship, a trust, a future or a hope.
Something is lost and deeply wounded, which loss can’t be recovered, and which scar will leave it’s mark.

Betrayal is a big part of my story, too:
My father left me wounded, orphaned and doomed.
Trusted friends pierced my heart with their lying words while stabbing my back.
And the country that I call my home robbed our past and took our wealth.

But faith overcomes betrayal, as Christ defeated death,
through His resurrection
the losses and wounds,
the tears and pains,
the marks and scars
will all vanish away.

When the Son of Man returns, 
will he find faith on earth? 
I hope and pray that my faith
will put a smile on the Face,
which was distorted by the pain
caused by my betrayal.