Believing without seeing proof is what faith is all about

Recently, a friend shared a beautiful analogy with me. She woke up one morning and discovered that the internet was down at her home and immediately realized what an inconvenience that was going to be.

In her “fix it” mother mode, she went through all of the troubleshooting options she knew to try but did not have any luck. After calling the internet provider, she was informed that it might be a few days before the problem could be fixed.

A few days? What was she and her family going to do?

Luckily, later that day, she spotted a repair truck in the alley behind her house and went over to talk to the technician to get updates on when their internet might be restored.

As she approached the tech in the cherry picker, he let her know they were working to see if they could find the problem and would hopefully have it fixed soon. My friend returned to her house feeling so relieved. Moments later, she came to the realization that even if she had not seen the tech in her alley, her internet would still have been restored.

Where did her relief come from? It came from “knowing he was at work.” She further explained that even when we try to control things, God is working on things in all of our lives: “God is working even if you don’t see it.”

Her story has so much truth.

Why is it that our relief comes much more easily if we “know” and “see” God is at work? What if our faith was strong enough to trust “he” is at work without needing to see it happen?

As parents, we are given the most precious job of raising and loving our children while teaching them the “truth” and helping them get to heaven. Oftentimes, we can question whether all of our intentional actions are making a difference or if God is really moving in them.

The reality is that these feelings happen when we are trying to control things and are not trusting that God is working in their lives.

Of our six children, we have three who are very expressive and three who are much more reserved. It is easy for us to see God working in our children who talk to us about it and live their faith out loud; but I often worry about our children who do not openly express their prayer life.

A few months ago, one of my more reserved daughters shared a beautiful moment with me. She revealed to me that, as she was praying during our parish’s monthly women’s holy hour, God was calling her through Scripture and the quiet voice in her heart to simply trust in him. It was such a relief to hear her express the movement of God in her life, but once again ... it would have been happening even if she had not shared that brief moment with me.

Just because she does not express every step of her faith life with me, as do some of our other children, God is certainly moving and working in her life, and I need to trust that!

Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”      We are called to believe and to live out that belief every day. Whether we see the fruits of that work or know of them, it should not determine how we live our day.

And, as parents, we don’t have to live with doubt, because, when it’s all said and done, we know that God is in control. God is working in my life; God is working in our lives; and God is working in our children’s lives.

Most importantly, we know the end of the story, and everything is restored!

Michelle Macicek is a wife and mother of six children who loves musical theater and Catholic education. She currently is a stay-at-home mother, but also is a teacher and was previously the coordinator of religious education (CRE) at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Metairie. She continues to help at St. Catherine as the service-learning-project coordinator and is active on the parish leadership team. She and her husband Scott have a passion for marriage and family outreach and oversee marriage and family life activities at St. Catherine. They have been mentoring engaged couples in marriage prep for the last four years. While not being able currently to devote time to performing in musical theater, Michelle continues to participate in the parish’s music ministry and helps with praise and worship at the monthly women’s adoration nights. She helps coordinate the “Beloved” women’s ministry and is currently piloting a group for middle-school girls called “Blaze” that is led by high school girls. She has a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother and daily desires the courage to imitate her “yes” to God’s call for her and her family. It is her personal fiat.