Recently I've heard an interesting comment. Apparently in the US, when you say you are religious, you are met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Interestingly, when you are not a believer, it is somewhat suspicious. In the UK, on the other hand, being religious is seen as something strange, to be kept away from others. Maybe this should come to no surprise, since in the UK the number of people describing themselves as of no faith was greater than those identifying themselves with Christianity (49% as compared with 43%, as reported by The Economist). Recently I've seen an advert for a sale of a deconsecrated church with the surrounding burial area for as little as £100,000.
Faith is on the fall, even though we make little acts of faith every day. Every day when we drive, fly or turn up to a meeting with another person we make an act of faith is a sense: that the others will drive responsibly, that the pilot is competent or that our companion actually turns up. We can call it the natural faith. Yet it's somehow more difficult to make this leap of faith when it comes to the existence of God (supernatural faith). Why is it so much easier in the former than in the latter case?
I sometimes worry whether my faith is a sort of wishful thinking that I employ to satisfy my need of a purpose in this life. It's admittedly a comforting thought that there is someone there who cares about you. I am very well aware that deeply human desire to make sense of things and feel like it all has a purpose. At the same time I'm deeply convinced of the existence of the Almighty. There is something that continuously pulls me in the direction of God, even though I struggle so much and have so many questions. And I question continually. I'm like a child who always asks why does it need to be so?
Faith is important, because it is an anchor to which I can return. It always stays the same. Wherever the lives leads me, God is still there and still loves me the same. It's a breeze of constancy is the time of change. Most importantly, faith is important, because I do think, indeed, I'm convinced, that faith is true. And you should keep hold of what is true. Truth is beautiful.
Faith is on the fall, even though we make little acts of faith every day. Every day when we drive, fly or turn up to a meeting with another person we make an act of faith is a sense: that the others will drive responsibly, that the pilot is competent or that our companion actually turns up. We can call it the natural faith. Yet it's somehow more difficult to make this leap of faith when it comes to the existence of God (supernatural faith). Why is it so much easier in the former than in the latter case?
I sometimes worry whether my faith is a sort of wishful thinking that I employ to satisfy my need of a purpose in this life. It's admittedly a comforting thought that there is someone there who cares about you. I am very well aware that deeply human desire to make sense of things and feel like it all has a purpose. At the same time I'm deeply convinced of the existence of the Almighty. There is something that continuously pulls me in the direction of God, even though I struggle so much and have so many questions. And I question continually. I'm like a child who always asks why does it need to be so?
Faith is important, because it is an anchor to which I can return. It always stays the same. Wherever the lives leads me, God is still there and still loves me the same. It's a breeze of constancy is the time of change. Most importantly, faith is important, because I do think, indeed, I'm convinced, that faith is true. And you should keep hold of what is true. Truth is beautiful.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:16-20
No comments:
Post a Comment