“Faith Matters” is a column that features pieces written by local religious figures.
The founders of the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (ThreeM) company had a goal in mind in 1902: “to mine for corundum or anthracite, a mineral – that included ruby and sapphire that was ideal for making sandpaper and grinding wheels.” It turned out they picked the wrong materials. However, instead of giving up, they kept faith in their vision. They maintained a spirit of collaboration. They found the right materials, developed successful commercial products from Post-it Notes to Scotch Tape, and built a Fortune 500 manufacturing giant.
This company boasts on its website of its “more than 55,000 3M products used in homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and other industries. One third of our sales come from products invented within the past five years, thanks to innovations from the thousands of researchers and scientists we employ around the world.”
The people involved had faith in the product, purpose and plan that made all of the difference. Long before 3M came into existence, God had a successful, faithful and lasting plan for all of us.
“Faith is the key and substance (or assurance) of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”
To me, this word means anticipating and taking advantage of a new opportunity– way of life, position or relationship – and, perhaps, change of position or lifestyle.
It also means living with confidence, anticipation and expectation.
Hebrews 11:6 records these words: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Those words emphasize that belief in God’s existence and God’s nature as a rewarder of those who seek Him is essential for a relationship with Him, forming the core of pleasing Him, more so than good deeds alone.
Faith involves knowing and embracing God’s character and promises, not to achieve intellectual agreement. It is the foundation for spiritual life, health, strength, hope, growth and peace.
It calls us to trust God’s goodness and faithfulness, and recognizing God as a loving parent who is responsive, compassionate and caring.
It also involves active seeking. Pursuit does not involve passive belief requiring a desire to follow word and way.
Finally, faith is foundational and not always fun, because it calls us to trust and believe.
As an example, most of us will sit in a chair, confident that it will not be pulled out from under us or will break due to its physical condition, serves a purpose and achieves a goal that is more than casual, matters because of its meaning. In some cases, it might come with a melody and music, and most definitely, meaning.