Why does Faith come first?

Hebrews 11: 1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I started this post a couple of days ago and then in an ironic twist, I kind of lost faith in myself so it's been difficult to come here and finish this up.  It has been a particularly hard semester for me and I have had to pull myself together a few times in order to get through it.  I have been feeling pretty beaten down by an art class.  It doesn't seem to matter how hard I try, it isn't good enough.  I have diverted all my time and attention to that class, to a point that I'm completing this assignment late for another class, but it still isn't enough.

Today I feel like I hit rock bottom and I had to consider my options.  I could just stop turning in assignments and fail the class and then take it over again, or I could dig deep again and try to refine my projects to get a better grade.

Somewhere, deep inside me, I felt this small quivering of hope and perspective.  As I focused on it, I realized that this one class does not define me.  This one teacher does not define me.  I may not be able to please him, but I know that I am on the right path.  I have pondered and prayed every step of the way as I have decided on my educational path and I need to have the faith necessary to move forward with my plans.

Perhaps that is why faith is one of the first principles of the gospel.  When everything else is stripped away,  we need faith to get us through.  We need to have faith that Jesus Christ is who he says he is.  We need to have faith that He is indeed the son of God and that he came here to prepare the way for us to return to our Heavenly Father.

In Hebrews 11:6 Paul writes:

But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I know that He is.  I know that He knows who I am.  He knows my hearts desires and He knows my limits.  When I don't have faith in myself, I still have faith in Him and can follow where He leads me.