Faith is defined as a ‘complete trust or confidence in someone or something’. It is, from a religious standpoint, a strong belief in God or doctrines based on spiritual awareness, rather than proof. We read these words of Jesus in John 20:29: “blessed are those who believe and have not seen”.
• We go to sleep assuming by faith that we will wake up.
• We call somebody on the phone and say talk to you later in faith that we will.
• We drive to the grocery store with the faith that we will return home safely with our groceries.
• We plant our gardens with faith that they will blossom and grow.
We also live every day knowing at some point that we will die, and that somehow it will be alright. But we cannot prove that, nor can we understand what really happens when we die. These are all elements of ‘having faith’.
Does faith mean we do not doubt? No! Faith does not eliminate doubt. Most people, if they are honest with themselves, will admit that they are troubled from time to time with doubts about whether what they’ve been taught is true. Even Mother Teresa wrote of her doubts in one of her diaries, saying: “But as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see. Listen and do not hear, the tongue moves in prayer but does not speak.” Mother Teresa had doubts, yet her faith was strong. I read an article about Mother Teresa once that stated if she had a choice, she would not be doing the work she was, but she was doing it because God had called her to do it! Wow – that is a strong faith.
Doubt is defined as: ‘a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction; a hesitancy to believe; not being certain about something, especially about how good or true it is.’ Being a “Doubting Thomas” and questioning life is not a bad thing. When we ask ourselves difficult questions, we get answers that can deepen our faith and provide us with the tools we need to live a more purposeful life and have a closer relationship with God. It is all right to doubt, but we must move beyond doubt.
Jesus told Thomas that those “who believe even if they have not seen are blessed”. Guess what – We are those blessed people! We may still have doubts but when we do, we can begin to examine our lives to determine what is true, what is right. That is the human process which leads to a better understanding of ourselves, our world, and our relationship with God. And each one of us must travel that journey at our own pace and in our own time.
As we can get back to a routine here at All Saints, I urge you to take advantage of the educational offerings we will have as a way to strengthen your faith and help you work through any doubts that you may have.
Prayer:
Jesus,
We dare to believe in the things we cannot see:
In your love for us, in your love for those around us
In the hope of eternity.
We dare to believe that another world is possible
That suffering can end
That we can play a part in the kingdom to come.
We dare to believe in heaven on earth, in the light breaking through
In justice made new, in your love for us.
Amen
