Faith is a difficult thing. Although we often try, it's not something we can put in a box. We like to think we have it all figured out, but unfortunately that's a pretty hefty claim. I like to think that it's easy to "just have faith," but in this postmodern world, that's not always so easy. We tend to want reasons for knowing.
I think back to the days of a small Lutheran church placed smack dab in the middle of the country side. Imagine a little white church with a steeple, a bell outside that is rung before and after the service, and a basement full of old quilting ladies who brought various hotdishes for the potluck, and you can understand the church where I grew up. Everything was predictable. Everything was comfortable. Everything was simple.
But then I moved away. And in my classes I was presented with views that opposed my own. I was challenged with ideas that caused me to lose sleep because I was so uncomfortable with the thought that what I had always known...might not be truth. But how do we know? What about my claim that God is truth, and all truth is God's truth? What about my claim that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin? What about my belief that Jesus died on a cross and actually rose again three days later? And is it okay to challenge these questions in a quest to find what is really true?
I think that God wants this. I think - actually, I believe - He invites us to challenge what we believe. God wants us to take what we "know" and discover what we can know. He wants us to dig, and to chew, and to wrestle with what truth really is so in the end, He can reveal Himself to us in full glory.
The beauty of a challenged faith is that it cannot remain stagnant. My 'faith' is no longer a mere wealth of knowledge that my parents instilled in me through forced Sunday school, confirmation and church. It's mine. It's growing, it's alive, and it's more beautiful than ever. I can't put my faith in a box, and I'm constantly being challenged with uncomfortable ideas and thoughts - and I love that I'm okay with that. Time and time again, God continues to show me truth in the presence of my doubts.
As soon as we become comfortable, we no longer see a need to grow. When I get comfortable, I get lazy...so I'm excited that my faith is challenged. Honestly, if being comfortable in my faith means that I my faith becomes stale, I'd just rather not get comfortable.
No comments:
Post a Comment