“Part of life’s purpose is to allow these potential stumbling blocks to become stepping-stones as we climb what I call the ‘ladder of faith’” states Elder Larry S. Kacher in “Ladder of Faith“. Climbing the ladder of faith is a necessary part of discipleship.

What Is Faith?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). When we talk of faith, it is faith in Jesus Christ. This is the first principle of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). It is the foundation upon which we must build to avoid the craftiness and temptations of the devil (Helaman 5:12). There are two parts to faith, one is the belief that Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and loves us and wants us to return to Him and His Father. The second part is action. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-17) writes James. This means we have to be participants in order to not only grow our faith but be blessed for it.

Trials

I find that I climb the ladder of faith more when I go through trials. When we married, my wife knew it would be difficult to have children of our own. We also knew we wanted a family and to have the blessing of children in life. We had faith that God would provide us with children, but we didn’t sit around and wait. After conventional means of having children failed, we went and saw a specialist. We began the process of in-vitro fertilization and had faith that God would see our efforts rewarded. One thing to note about faith is that you can’t give up after the first try. We were unsuccessful in our first attempt. It was heartbreaking and a test of our faith. It also tested our resolve. We decided to try again. On our third try, Cheryl got pregnant. We were ecstatic.

During the time we were doing in-vitro we also started the adoption process. We wanted to maximize our chances of having children and in case in-vitro didn’t work out we had another plan. The adoption process is nerve-wracking. All the pictures, letters, background checks, etcetera can really try your faith. However, we knew that if we didn’t go through the process our chances of being blessed would go down.

As I said, Cheryl got pregnant, however, it didn’t last. We went through the heartache of our child not living. About a week after losing the pregnancy we got a phone call from our adoption agency stating we had been chosen as adoptive parents. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. About three months later, our oldest child was born and we were able to take him home.

Our faith had been rewarded. It was not in the way we thought it would be. It was not in the timeline we thought it would be. It was at the right time according to God’s plan. Our faith was strengthened and we climbed the ladder a little higher because of that experience.

Can Faith Be Strengthened During Good Times?

We most often hear about faith being strengthened during trials and tribulations. However, faith can be strengthened during good times. Cheryl and I have been blessed in this life. There is no other way to state it. We have had many good years and have been privileged to raise five adopted children. Our faith has been strengthened during the good times as we have seen God work in the lives of our children, family, friends, and neighbors. We have learned to see God’s hand in things and that recognition strengthens our faith and allows us to climb the ladder a little higher. We have been instruments in His hands in ways we know about and I’m sure in ways we don’t know about. These experiences have shown unto us that faith is not only strengthened during the tests of life.

Assessing Our Faith

One thing that we need to do is assess our faith at regular intervals. We can ask ourselves where we are with regards to our faith in Jesus Christ. We can ponder on and determine ways where we can grow and strengthen our faith. Doing so allows us to seek the will of God and find out what He wants us to do. Elder Kacher lists the following questions from God’s prophets to help us assess our faith and climb the ladder:

1. Am I stripped of pride?
2. Do I give place in my heart for the word of God?
3. Do I allow my afflictions to be consecrated for my gain?
4. Am I willing to let my will be swallowed up in the will of the Father?
5. If I have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, can I feel so now?
6. Do I let God prevail in my life?

Conclusion

Climbing the ladder of faith is a lifelong experience. No one ever goes continually up the ladder. We all have times when we falter. However, if we hold fast to our faith when times are tough, we can stop any descent and begin to climb again. The ladder of faith can be successfully climbed in this life and draw us nearer to God and Jesus Christ.