I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about faith.

Faith is a powerful word and an even more powerful force. It’s been the catalyst for the most important movements in the history of the world. We hear the word all the time, usually in times of great sorrow and fear.

But, what does it mean?

No one really knows, and I think that’s the point.

We can start with the religious concept of the word. It is the foundation of all religious beliefs. Whether you practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism or any other organized religion, faith is the cornerstone. The short story is that God is in charge and the secret to a productive and happy life is accepting that fact.

In non-religious terms, New Age thinkers and motivational speakers have stirred people through positive thinking and believing in oneself. The wisdom they share has inspired countless people to achieve success and improve their lives by accepting “universal laws” and using them to realize personal and professional dreams.

Even pragmatic practitioners of the scientific method rely on a form of faith to explain why things like gravity and the rotations of planets around the sun exist. Scientific research has explained what causes these phenomena and how they work. However, science doesn’t answer why they happen, so they are accepted as Universal or Natural Law.

What do all three of these examples have in common? Acceptance of what can’t be explained. This is the basis of faith.

Since the summer a massive heart attack changed my life, I’ve been on a personal faith journey with bridge crossings marked by calming enlightenment and uncomfortable uncertainty. I fully accept what occurred that summer and understand how it happened.

Every now and then, I arrive at a bridgehead of doubt. The nagging why seeps into my consciousness and causes hesitation. Why me? Why now? Why has my life taken this dramatic turn?

While pondering those questions, I remember how I survived a harrowing heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, and life-threatening lung failure. I remember the many family, friends, and even strangers who prayed for my survival. I remember learning again how to walk, talk, and eat after a month in a paralytic coma. I remember that I’m alive.

Then I thank God for what I have and move on along the path with gratitude.

As I meander through the unknowns of the trail, the why crossings are fewer and further apart. Pauses at the entrance to those insecure bridges of uncertainty become ever shorter as I get closer to the gates of true and unconditional faith.

And my  journey lives for another day…

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COMING Wednesday: The FINAL EXCERPT of Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life. If you missed last week’s excerpt, click here:https://esereport.com/2015/02/04/summer-in-the-waiting-room-how-faith-family-and-friends-saved-my-life-excerpt-50/