We start by having faith like a little child. From a child's perspective, we'd receive the kingdom of God simply and purely without question.

Wow thank you everyone for your input ....

I so question myself on feeling truth faith....especially when things keep backing up and I am feeling down...

I appreciate ALL of the input....and have copied many of these to continue to read

I like the part of learning to quiet down and seeing what he is showing me....hard to do for me too.

THANK YOU

Faith to me, is trusting God to take care of you, in all things. I never got angry with God for taking my husband, since it was his choice, not God's. I do understand the anger and I'm sure that God is patient with you. I believe He is a loving God, but it's a hard thing to release the pain to Him and let him take care of you.

I usually just open the Bible and read whatever comes up, and it always is something I need to hear. Having a grateful heart and thanking Him for all things, brings you into a more loving relationship with Him.

I'm sorry you are having a tough time. It is hard doing all the things you have to take care of. Big Hugs.
Paula

I love the camel saying!

I assume you're talking about "faith" and not "religion".
Faith is a very personal thing for everyone. Regardless of what religion you might belong to, your faith will be different for you and the person standing next to you, again even if you are of the same religion.
I can only give you my own personal belief and it will be sightly, or possibly extremely different than others.
It doesn't matter in the slightest because it's my faith, and whether someone else believes or not has no effect on my own feelings beliefs.
I believe very strongly there is a higher being we call God, and growing up with friends of different faiths and attending different churches over the years I don't believe that when you leave our physical world you go to a Christian place, or Jewish place, or Hindu, or Muslim, etc...

We simply leave our physical bodies behind to become spirit and go back to God. We don't ride horses, or run through forests, or drink, or any other number of other things we like to imagine our loved ones doing. Those are physical traits we have no more use for in spirit and pale to nothing compared to the love and light we enter into.
I believe we see and are with others who have crossed over before us and continue to learn.
If we choose to be in a certain place at a given time with a loved one we can do so, again in spirit, but we are still there, regardless of whether we are sensed or not.

I asked all the same questions. Why could this happen? How could this happen? I found anger and tears and immersed myself in them. And then over time and through other things I went through and still continue to go through I realize it's not for us to know everything.
Life and death are not our plans to make and we go through them as we were meant to, not as we choose to.
God doesn't alter our course here in the physical world. Our course is established and we follow it, sometimes with a little help and sometimes without.
There is a saying that "if you really want to give God a good chuckle tell Him your plans for the future."

Again, I have no doubt whatsoever, when we give up our physical bodies we still exist. We only leave our physical selves behind. I have seen much too much in the last couple of years not to believe that very strongly.
And getting angry at God for the terrible loss we feel over a loved one's passing is like getting angry at the sky for pouring rain on us. It will not change anything. Our path here begins and ends, regardless of whether others need us or not.
I still feel a terrible loneliness for my wife at times, still speak to her, even if for only a few moments almost every day, and regardless of whether I continue on with anybody or not in my lifetime that will not change.
I also know in my heart that one day when my time is up neither myself nor anyone else will be able to change that. It will be my time, simple as that.
When I pass I assume there will be some grieving by those I've had to leave behind but I'll be with my loved ones again. I truly believe that.

I apologize for being so long winded on this topic but it struck a chord strongly and I feel I needed to say what I believe.
As I've continually stated, it's only my personal belief but it's one I'll always keep, regardless of how happy, sad or lonely I am.
I truly hope you find peace on your journey.

I really would like to you mylv Nicker07 cant wait to talk again I am glad to have been informed about this post it has helped a lot. I have had a spiritual experience envoving my wife and I have felt joy everyday sense. I wrote my dream down and will share if asked I know I posted before but I was asked so I am posting again.

I still feel the loss of my wife I just look at it differently like till I see you again.

If you have an open mind regaurding the here after message me

I meant I would really like to talk to you

Faith is what you believe when the rest of the world goes away and it's just you and your conversation with God. I read the book "Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People" and I so believe that book. God doesn't pick and choose whom to take depending on how deep their faith is. Babies and little children die. God doesn't "take them." Who could love a God that goes around saying, "you live, you die, you live, you die"...like some kind of lottery.

I believe that we are human with human conditions and God allows us to be human with human conditions and with free will. God didn't decide that every person that lost their life on 9/11 would lose their life that day. People (with free will) chose to kill that day. It was horrific. It is senseless to blame God whenever something horrific happens for not stopping it.

I believe that there is one God...and it is all the same God...no matter what a persons belief system...(if a person believes in something...anything beyond themselves and their existence)..I believe it is God in all Gods many shapes and forms. And if someone does not believe in God, or anything beyond themselves...I still love them just the same because they are them and they are precious to me too.

And...the God that I believe in loves us and cheers us on and is happy for us when we are happy....and feels for us when we are struggling...and comforts us when we need comfort...and is sad when we cry...and totally understands when we are mad as hell at him. Because God "understands that we are human and are not Gods ourselves."

You are all very very precious to me no matter what your faith or beliefs. I believe that you also are very very precious to God and so was your spouse that you lost. God did not leave them even as they walked through the valley of death. That is what I believe.

I remember well early on when I hurt so bad that I too was mad as hell at God and anyone that believed that if someone only prayed enough and had enough faith, then they would get a miracle and they would live. That hurt because my husband had a faith stronger than anyone's I ever met and he didn't get that miracle.

God understands....

Big (((((hugs))))) to everyone.
-Diana

I believe God wants us to develop a faith that transcends our circumstances. A mature faith that doesn't grow stronger when times or good or weaken when times are bad. A faith that is our core. God is interested in the spiritual not the physical. God is not our Fairy Godmother. Pursuit of this type of faith is a lifelong process. You have to plug in.......open your heart,mind,eyes,ears.......read,pray.and most importantly listen for the still small voice of God who is everywhere.

God knows your heart.. its ok to be angry.. its ok not to think you have faith. Its fine. The Bible says " for when I am weak, then I am strong". Why is that?! Because when you are weak, you are empty, you have zero control, thats when God fills you entire being with his strength. When I am angry and have so much pain and no will to get up in the morning, my only prayer is: " Dear Jesus, you know my heart, and right now I am angry and have zero strength to breathe, get up or believe... I have no words to even express how I feel. Just search my heart and give me the strength that I do not have and fill me with the love that comes from your Holy Spirit". All you got to do is find enough power just to ask and you will truly see Gods favor in your life. It never fails.

this is a great thread. Like many here I feel my faith has been strengthened by my husband's death. I do loo to a good future as long as I keep putting my life and my will in God's hands.

Since my husband was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, It has been challenging at times. Because I did get angry before my husband passed away. I was angry with God and I was angry with my husband. And I was even more angry with myself for having these feelings.

But I do know through all of these feelings my faith never waivered. I knew God would walk me through all of these feelings once I trusted him and took the initiative myself to believe he would get us through. Their was a plan in place I just needed to keep the faith. I have had so many blessings that I am so thankful for and I know that my faith and my beliefs in God is what is getting me through.

It is hard to not control the situation we are in and I feel that plays a big part in our everyday challenges. And I have always said the word "change" is one of the biggest words in any language.

So all I can do is have faith that whatever I do God will be here to guide me. God Bess!!

My faith has actually been deepened by the loss of my husband and his entire family.....

March 2007: My husband's twin brother died unexpectedly. My husband was devastated. I won't go into great detail, but because of this death, we moved closer to our work to ease the stress on my husband..... if we hadn't, I wouldn't have been in a possession to work from home when my husband needed me most.

December 2007: My beloved father in law died after 3 months in intensive care. It was a brutal and gruesome 3 months. My husband, who had always insisted he would want to be kept alive no matter what, changed his mind after watching what his father went through. Because of this, my husband was able to place the decision to let him go in the hands of my son and I when it was his time.

April 1, 2010: My beloved husband of 29 years died of complications following the removal of a recurrent brain tumor. His local dr. told me that the surgeon at Duke University had botched the graph. The graph deteriorated and let in the infection that killed my husband. Several people encouraged me to file a law suit. My response was that the only thing I had ever prayed for was that Stephen would not suffer. I didn't get to complain about how God answered that prayer. Stephen might have lived another 4-5 months, but they would have been horrible for everyone involved.

The last part of my story may be difficult for some to read. Please know that I don't wish to offend, but want to share the last piece of what I truly believe is a part of God's plan for me.

May 2011: I had gone online and begun to date. I impulsively contacted a man just because I liked his hair and smile. His hair was snow white and reminded me of my grandfather. We met for the first time in June and were married in October. We've been married now for almost 2 years. My current husband is divorced. We discovered that his marriage ended for good and all the day before I buried my late husband..... which was on Easter Sunday.

Oh yes, I'm a firm believer in God's plan.......... and sometimes we are lucky enough to see it. Other times we just have to trust that it's there.