Posted by Dena on September 24, 2003, at 17:27:31
In reply to strruggling with faith, posted by oeps7 on September 23, 2003, at 8:24:40
> I am constantly struggling with faith. For those of you that are very spiritual - how do you know there is something else This is a constant struggle for me. I want to believe but find it difficult. This is sometimes the cause of my depression and anxiety.
You have a lot of courage to even ask this question. I admire you for that. I also admire your tenacity in trying to go off of meds in order to protect your future baby. I've had seven healthy children - four of whom thrived in pregnancy while I was on paxil, celexa & lexapro (variously). You don't get pregnant women volunteering for drug testing very often, but my doctors figured that my relief from depression was also in my unborn children's best interest as well. Most of the newer antidepressants are in the category "B" of drugs - they aren't known to cause any harm to unborn babies. It's between you, your husband & your doctor, but I just thought you might like to hear that one woman, at least, suffered no ill effects by staying on meds that were helping me (they also helped me to avoid post-partum depression, which I suffered with after one of my children pre-meds).But... your original question is about faith. Or the lack thereof. Or, of the going back and forth between the two with no assurance of truth.
Dinah wrote a wonderful post earlier about how intricately & delicately & awesomely the universe is put together, & how there must be a Designer of it all - it couldn't have happened randomly. Even the most die-hard atheistic evolutionists, once they open-mindedly examine the evidence, come to the conclusion that there just has to be an Intelligent Designer behind the cosmos (not to mention the single cell).
I believe in a Creator because of the evidence of His creation.
I believe in a personal God, a God who desires a personal relationship with me, because He has entered my heart, my life, & has transformed me - in a way that I couldn't have done on my own.
I've seen evidence of His existence in the transsformed lives of other people I know.
I stepped out in faith - I said, "I believe that there must be a Creator - because I see what's been created. If you're real, show me in whatever way You choose to. Become real to me. Show Yourself to me as You really are."
Most people want to see before they believe. But what's the point of that? That's not faith.
I first believed, then I saw.
No one ever died by taking a leap of faith. But how sad to die without ever having taken a leap of faith.
I wish you a blessed leap.
Shalom, Dena
poster:Dena
thread:262623
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030908/msgs/263014.html