I read an amazing book over the summer called "O Me of Little Faith." It's written by a Christian man that is a self-proclaimed doubter. He talks a lot about how you can be a God-loving Christian and still think sometimes..."Uhhh, can that really happen?" or..."That seems a little hard to believe..." This book changed my life. It made it OK for me to be on this road and have questions. It didn't mean I was a non-believer or not-worthy, it meant that I doubt. Sometimes more so than not, and that is OK. Whenever I chat to other doubters or people on the journey that I am on, I have been referring this book, it truly is amazing.
Something that the author, Jason Boyett
(Check out his website here: http://blog.beliefnet.com/omeoflittlefaith/ ) talks about is taking a Leap of Faith and what that means. His discussion of this was a major light bulb moment for me. He discussed why this such amazing thing is called a LEAP of faith. Have you ever thought about that? Why a LEAP?! Faith is rough. Faith means you believe in something that you can't see, that you can't really prove. Some people can have faith pretty easily, like my husband. He decided in high school, I believe this, the end. Most of the time when I bring up hard questions that sometimes don't make sense regarding Christianity, and want proof, or an explanation, he doesn't usually give it. Why not? Because he has never thought about proof or an explanation. Because he doesn't need it. I'll ask "Why do you believe that?" His answer usually is..."I just do." Oh, OK, great, thanks for the help, buddy! My dear husband has faith. Unwavering faith. He believes. No doubt. Some people, yours truly included, aren't so lucky.
We are the leapers. If we ever find a way to LEAP on over there to that aawweeeeeeesome thing, faith, we gotta leap. Ain't no strolling or skipping or leisurely walk. We are LEAPING HERE PEOPLE! What do you imagine when you here the word "leap." I imagine someone getting a longgg head start run, kind of like a long-jumper, running running running hard and fast and then taking the biggest hardest jump their body can musters. That's a leap to me.
Sounds about right.
Faith to me is this ridiculously hard long-jumper leap. Not a Stroll of Faith, or a Little Jump of Faith.
Most of the time I yearn to be like my husband, one of those people that can stroll on over to faith, no problem, no leap needed. But sometimes, I think to myself, maybe leaping can be a good thing. If I was able to believe so easily, I wouldn't be learning the things I am, I wouldn't be forming the relationships I have been, I wouldn't ask questions all the time and I wouldn't push myself harder and harder to KNOW God the way I need to.
Guess I better start practicing my leaps.
Wow Sara, I was dealing with this same issue for a while a couple years back and then I read James and it said "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
ReplyDeleteI felt like God had made it hard for me so that I would learn and then be able to help others on their path. Consider it pure joy is actually a mantra that I use quite often when I feel doubt or have to do something hard.
Also, 1 Peter 3:15 says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." God wants us to be able to explain why we believe and you're on the path to be able to do that! So congrats and consider it pure joy!
Thanks TJ! I appreciate your insight and very much agree!
ReplyDeleteWell, turns out I hadn't read this blog post yet when I commented on your most recent one...anyway, you're right that some people find it easier to believe and some have a harder time. Regardless of how you get to your faith, it is always a gift of God. Ephesians says that we are "saved by grace through faith, and this not of yourselves, but it is a gift of God, not by works unless anyone should boast." So it says right there, that our salvation and the ability to have faith to believe in Jesus for our salvation are gifts from God - He starts the relationship with us, start to finish. Our job is to receive the gift of grace, the gift of faith, the gift of salvation, and to let these gifts transform our lives.
ReplyDeleteIf you think you don't have much faith, and I know I struggle with it too, then you can ask God for faith, since it's a gift. There was a man in the Bible who did this. He asked Jesus to heal his child who had a demon and was very oppressed by it. Jesus wanted to know if he believed that his son could be healed; the man said, "Lord, I believe - help my unbelief!" I love that answer because that's exactly how I feel a lot of the time. I make this statement my prayer too. "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief cause I want to trust you with my whole heart, not just part of it."
Newms-
ReplyDeleteI pray for faith ALLLL the time. Trust! You and I have talked about that part in the bible before when the man says "I believe- help my unbelief!" I LOVEEEE that, it is so me, and I say that a lot to God too.