January 25th, 2026
by Martha Arizpe
by Martha Arizpe
Recently, while in the process of putting up Christmas decorations, I came across an item that I had put away for the holidays and would now put back out on display. It is a 6-inch-long resin and wood sign with the word “FAITH” carved out of the top. Underneath the word is this phrase: “Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.” Why I ever replaced it with anything else is quite beyond me. Those thirteen words mean so much to me – they are my credo. Scripture supports this belief multiple times, as in Hebrews 11:1, which says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we find these words: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” In my 74 years of life, I have learned not only the truth of this statement, but the reason it is mentioned in Scripture so often. Faith is the foundation of everything important, including things like individual salvation, and, of course, hope.
I also noticed something else among the décor items in our living room. We have a metal corner shelving unit which mostly contains my collection of small teapots. However, there are three small items, each hanging from a ribbon off a metal curlicue, containing the word “Hope”. One is made from colorful resin, one is on a plaster heart, and one is a very rustic circle, with two small birds and that one word. And this small corner of our home has all three of them, hanging there close together, not matching at all, except of course for the theme. During one of our course lessons in my Home Builders Sunday School class, we discussed the fact that hope is a by-product of faith. For if one has no foundational belief in God, how would they ever have any hope? Putting one’s hope in man is a slippery slope, based on, well, nothing. Now, I am not saying that it is unreasonable to trust other human beings. It is not. But real hope, the kind that encompasses one’s every thought, MUST be faith-based. Otherwise, the correct word to use is “wish”, not “hope”. And not all our dearest hopes come to fruition, at least not in the way we had wanted.
Which brings us full circle back to faith. Faith in God allows us to believe that whatever the outcome, it is what Our Heavenly Father deemed best. And He is the ONLY ONE who truly knows.
Blessings,
Martha Arizpe, St. John’s Prayer Team
I also noticed something else among the décor items in our living room. We have a metal corner shelving unit which mostly contains my collection of small teapots. However, there are three small items, each hanging from a ribbon off a metal curlicue, containing the word “Hope”. One is made from colorful resin, one is on a plaster heart, and one is a very rustic circle, with two small birds and that one word. And this small corner of our home has all three of them, hanging there close together, not matching at all, except of course for the theme. During one of our course lessons in my Home Builders Sunday School class, we discussed the fact that hope is a by-product of faith. For if one has no foundational belief in God, how would they ever have any hope? Putting one’s hope in man is a slippery slope, based on, well, nothing. Now, I am not saying that it is unreasonable to trust other human beings. It is not. But real hope, the kind that encompasses one’s every thought, MUST be faith-based. Otherwise, the correct word to use is “wish”, not “hope”. And not all our dearest hopes come to fruition, at least not in the way we had wanted.
Which brings us full circle back to faith. Faith in God allows us to believe that whatever the outcome, it is what Our Heavenly Father deemed best. And He is the ONLY ONE who truly knows.
Blessings,
Martha Arizpe, St. John’s Prayer Team
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