It has been a while since I have pulled out "The Inspired Box." So here's one for you.
SCRIPTURE:
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen."
~ Hebrews 11:1
THOUGHTS:
We do not have faith in things that are knowable. Faith cannot be simply in things that we know to be true. In fact, the very essence of faith is believing in things you cannot see. Faith is irrational. It's not believing in what you know to be true, but instead choosing to believe in what could be absolutely wrong. Faith cannot exist without some measure of doubt. If there is no doubt about the thing, then there is no reason to hope for it to be real, because we know that it is. That is not faith. That is knowledge of reality.
I have faith in Jesus, not because of facts that add up to faith, but instead because of doubts that over and over lead to hope in things not seen. My faith is not consumed by knowing things to be true, but instead it is guided by my willingness to embrace what is unknown. My faith knows doubt and knows it well.
Beyond the vast amounts of doubt in my soul, which I believe are absolutely okay and that Jesus himself doubted "my G-d, my G-d, why have you forsaken me?" --- I choose to believe that G-d is for me and not against me. I choose to have faith in something I cannot see and ultimately I cannot always explain or even feel. But I embrace my irrational friend called faith and I let her guide me to hope, to imagination, to creating a better world.
ACTION:
Faith is not something I can force on someone else. But perhaps in letting people have space to doubt they will find a faith of their own in things that they cannot see. I want to be creating space where doubt is welcome and faith is fostered.
