Faith: The Lifeline We Can’t Live Without

Faith: The Lifeline We Can’t Live Without

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Faith. That little word carries more weight than most of us care to admit. People love to say, “Faith without works is dead.” It’s almost become a slogan. But here’s where we mess up we take that piece of wisdom, twist it, and force it to fit our own egos. Hold on, though, before you get ready to argue. Let me explain what I mean.

See, faith isn’t about a checklist of actions or some grand performance for the world to applaud. No, faith is raw. It’s deep, like the roots of an old wild fig tree, clinging to the soil in places where life shouldn’t even exist. It’s stronger than the so-called “God particle” scientists talk about. Faith shines brighter than Sirius, the star that owns the night sky, and flows freer than the mighty Indus River. It’s not something you can bottle up, measure, or even fully explain.

But here’s the catch: we take faith for granted. We slap society’s measuring stick on it, trying to evaluate something that’s beyond human understanding. Faith is otherworldly, breathtaking. It doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet or flowchart. It’s untamed, unquantifiable, and yet it works.

My grandmother Celestine,  May the Creator rest her wise soul, always had a way of putting things into perspective. “Baby,” she’d say, “faith don’t need to be loud to be real. It just needs to be steady. Like the heartbeat in your chest. You don’t think about it, but it’s always there, keeping you alive.”

And you know what? She was right. Her faith wasn’t flashy, but it was unshakable. She didn’t need a pulpit or a crowd to prove it. You could see it in how she loved her garden, how she prayed over her tomato plants like they were her children. “The Creator will do His part,” she’d say, “but you’ve got to trust the process.”

Faith, according to her, was like a pair of glasses you didn’t know you needed until you put them on. Suddenly, everything looked clearer. Without it, life’s just a blur. I didn’t understand that when I was young, but life has a funny way of teaching you.

There was a time when I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like the weight of the world was pressing on my chest. I was lost, stuck in a place where I couldn’t see a way out. And in those moments, it was faith pure, unfiltered faith that kept me afloat. My grandmother’s voice would echo in my mind: “Baby, faith don’t always give you the whole map. Sometimes, it just lights the next step. That’s all you need.”

She knew life wasn’t easy, but she believed faith could carry you through anything. “When the world turns its back on you,” she’d say, “faith will stand beside you, holding your hand.” And I’ve seen it. Faith has been my lifeboat in the storm, my coat in the freezing cold, my voice when I couldn’t speak.

Some folks like to dismiss faith as wishful thinking. They’ll tell you tears don’t solve problems, or that love doesn’t pay the rent. But my grandmother, with all her Celestine wisdom, had a different take. “Tears,” she’d say, “are just the Creator watering your spirit. And love? Love don’t pay the bills, but it keeps your soul from going bankrupt.”

Her faith wasn’t about avoiding struggles. It was about facing them head-on, knowing the Creator had her back. “Faith,” she’d say, “isn’t a magic wand. It’s more like a steady hand on your shoulder, reminding you you’re not alone.”

I’ve carried her words with me, leaned on them in ways I never imagined. When life has pushed me to my knees, it’s been faith that’s lifted me back up. It’s not about perfection it’s about persistence. About trusting the unseen and believing in the impossible.

Faith, at its core, is what connects us to the Creator. It’s the force that moves mountains and whispers to us in the darkest nights. It’s not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it’s as simple as taking one more step when you don’t think you can.

Celestine used to say, “Baby, don’t let the world make you doubt what faith can do. It’s quiet but powerful. Like a seed breaking through concrete, it finds a way.” She knew that faith wasn’t about having all the answers. It was about trusting the Creator’s plan, even when nothing made sense.

So, here’s what I’ve learned: Faith isn’t just something we have it’s something that has us. It holds us together when everything else falls apart. It’s the bridge between where we are and where we’re meant to be. And if you let it, faith will take you places you never thought possible.

Trust it. Lean into it. Let it carry you. Because when all you have is faith, you’ll find it’s all you really need.

Love ❤️ Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Forever

Aligned

In

Trust with

Holiness