There are times when I wish my faith in God was perfectly box-shaped, with the corners tucked in neatly, and the whole thing tied up with a big, red bow.
There are times I wish I had bite-sized answers for the hard questions. Answers that make easy sense within the framework of my humanity. Answers that don’t stretch me too much.
But it doesn’t work that way. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And that can get messy. Young mothers get sick. Husbands leave. Terrorists fly planes into buildings. I follow a God who has promised me peace and comfort and joy, but on His terms, not mine.
And I know–I really do know–that this is a tough thing for some people to swallow. From the outside looking in, it looks like a blind faith, or a crutch. I’ve traveled that road of skepticism more times than I can count. I wrestled until my soul was bruised. There were times, when I was younger, that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to believe again.
But I do believe now. I do, with all my heart. Even when it’s messy. But how? How can I follow a God who doesn’t always stop suffering?
I don’t have a theologian’s answer to that question, because I’m not a theologian. There was I time when I needed that kind of answer–the facts, the explanations, the persuasion. I’ve heard them all, and those answers are all an important part of my faith journey.
Now, all I really need to see is His track record in my life. I believe because I’ve seen what He’s done, in my own life–my peace in the storms, my journeys out of the wildnerness. I don’t doubt His goodness, simply because He’s proven it to me so many times, through my own circumstances, through Scripture, and most of all, on the cross.
My daughter hates it when I make her hold my hand to cross a parking lot. She hates it when I have to tug a little to get the tangles out of her hair. She hates it when I say "no" to snacks right before dinner.
I do all this because I see the big picture. She doesn’t.
Yet in all of this, she still loves me and prefers me. Why? Because she knows that the same momma who says "no" to snacks is the same momma who makes sure she’s always well-fed. The same momma who grabs her hand in the parking lot is the same momma who kisses her scraped-up knee. I have a track record of proving my love for her. When I do something that makes her angry, she ultimately accepts it as coming from the hand of a mother who always acts with her best interests at heart.
Is that too simple an analogy? Maybe. But faith is simple. It’s taking a leap and suspending disbelief just long enough to see if God is who He says He is. If He is, He can handle the tough questions. If He is, He’ll meet us on our journey, taking a thousand steps toward us when we take just one toward Him.
From the bottom of my heart, I’ll tell you–He’s worth the risk.
this is beautifully written. faith is such a hard thing for outsiders to understand, and yet, for a believer, it’s very simple. thank you and i pray this touches many hearts.
He IS worth the risk! And, like you, it’s His track record in my life that convinces me more each day that no one should live without knowing Him. Thanks for a gorgeous post!
Yes! He IS. And, I loved the way you expressed it. That was an excellent example for WHY. Why do we trust God when He doesn’t seem to be doing us any good – Because He knows better than we do. Why do we believe in Him, because He has shown Himself to us in so many ways.
Thank you for your testimony.
~Mercy~
thank you.
I love this post.
I think your analagy is perfect and this post is lovely. Thank you for a beautiful start to the week.
Beautiful, sweet friend.
Thank you for stating this so simply. My husband is an information seeker. He must have all the facts, scripture references to document his beliefs. I on the other hand place all my faith in God “just because”. He’s there and He’s in control. He listens when I call out to Him and He loves me because I am His child. That’s enough for me.
Amen and Amen!
Wonderful post!
Excellent, Shannon.
I too, find assurance in my faith, not by looking ahead, but by looking back at my life. While in the present,especially during trying times, He can be hard to find sometimes, but looking back His Hand, His Love, His Mastery is so evident, so obvious, I must ask myself…How did I miss it…How did I miss Him??? And in that knowledge, I know He Is There as I look ahead into the future.
Blessings Shannon for wording this so well.
Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing and encouraging me. He is our anchor through the storms and we can delight in His mercy and love!
Wow! Well-said…and exactly what I needed to explain why I believe to a 17 year-old who is questioning everything.
Beautiful. My eyes are filled with tears of gratitude. What a wonderful Father we have!
When you are sitting in a room with medical professionals, receiving a life altering diagnosis regarding your two year old child, your faith (the deep down stuff) can take a beating. Yet I believe. Now, six years later, my child is so way beyond all predicitions made for him by those well meaning professionals. I do not know that he has done what was not expected of him because of my beliefs. I know, however, that God gave me a acceptance of my child that enabled me to keep going for him when my child needed me to keep going. He gave me a peace that enabled me to have the patience to be a good parent to this child when I could have been overwhelmed.
Someone asked me not long after we received the diagnosis, “Why aren’t you crying?”
My answer, “It’s all gonna be all right. God is good,” would still be the same today. As I watch my little buddy reading on grade level, whizzing through math problems and interacting with his friends in scouts I know that God IS good. He stayed with me when I doubted much in the same way I cared for my kiddo on the days when he tried me in everyway he knew how. On those tough days (and long nights) God whispered in my ear, “It’s gonna be all right.” Go figure, he was right.
Another good book on the subject is C.S. Lewis’ “The Problem of Pain.” Basic premise: how can a good God allow bad things to happen?
Thanks for sharing your heart!
Beautiful. It’s amazing to look back on our lives and see that even when God didn’t answer every prayer the way we thought He should, He was still there working things out for good. He’s a truly amazing God. Thanks for the inspiring post!
Beautiful Shannon. I am in the same place, and I can echo just what you have said.
What a wonderful way to start my week! Thank you for your analogy Shannon. It is beautiful!
I love that analogy. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the reminder!
Thank you, Shannon, for this beautiful post and a beautiful beginning to the week!
This is a wonderful post. I heard something this weekend at a retreat that said that Adversity is telling. It shows us what we have built our lives on…a firm foundation or sand. So many times God uses those things we find extremely difficult to build us up and make us stronger even when we don’t see it. Thanks for this beautifully written post. I hope it touches many people.
Great post. Great perspective.
Thank you. I’ll keep trying. 😉
Well said. I must share this with my sisters! Thanks so much.
Love this, Shannon. Just beautiful.
Beautiful post – thanks for sharing!
Outstanding post! God is faithful and He is good. He is carefully working all things together for our good and His glory. Thanks for the great illustration and good word! Blessings.
Beautifully said, Shannon.
Beautiful post Shannon and so true. Thank you!
Well said.
One thing that helps me with my faith when things seem to be terribly wrong in my life is to remember that God’s ultimate purpose for me is not to make me comfortable. It’s to draw me closer to Him and increase my faith. I wish I could say my faith grows the most in the good times, but it’s usually the bad times that stretch me and ultimately make me rely on God more.
I may have to come back to this post again and again. You said it so eloquently. Evangelism w/o the “evangelism”.
thank you.
Amen! Thank you!
Amen, Amen and Amen!! Powerfully, wonderfully and beautifully said! Thanks for reminding me of this today!
If we only have the faith of a child…
Faith really is simple. We make it so complicated. God, in His Wisdom and Grace, made it simple for us to understand. Praying this post will touch a doubting heart today. :>)
Thanks, Shannon.
Beautifully shared, Shannon! This is why I believe as well. God has been so good to me, even when I resented His teaching. I think it’s important for us to record what God does, so that we will have something to look back on when our faith wavers. One reason I love blogging.
I’ve never thought of my faith this way before. So simple yet I’ve never heard a better argument.
Outstanding Shannon! Thanks!
You seem to have said what I’ve been trying to explain for the past two years.
Exquisitely said. Beautiful.
Exquisitely said. Beautiful.
WOW, I’ve had FAITH on the brain the past few weeks. My DH wasn’t raised in a church. As a child the only time he went to church was when it was his Dad’s weekend, and then, it was only his Step-Mom that took him. He doesn’t understand FAITH. That makes for a rough marriage.
Lovely. Positively lovely. Been there, too.
I find this quite interesting writing and you put in a lot of thought to it. But I’m coming in at a different view of things and I hope you don’t mind.
Some says it important to have an individual loving relationship with “God” in my own words he/she made us all different so are relationship would be unique and loving..
But I found out there some out in world who may have a different relationship with god/dess then what they may have it wrong.
Sure at time I wonder why my life goes as it goes and may faith does wonder at times.
At later time when I have more time…I may write in more detail about individual faith and a personal relationship with the almighty.
That is right along the lines of what I posted yesterday. If you read the post, I am refering to closer to the bottom. God doesnt let bad things happen any more than I let bad things happen to my own children. But He will be there to support me just like I will be there to care for my kids
Very good post
One of the best posts I’ve read in a long, long, long, long time.
Thank you.
How wonderful. I am convinced this is because of how God changes us! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
II Cor. 5:17
TRAVELING LIGHT
Amen. Amen. Amen. And that is why we are to have faith like a child. We just know that he’ll take care of everything, even though we don’t have the big picture.
So beautifully written, Shannon. I know I will come back and read this post again and again. Faith is indeed simple; but simple doesn’t mean easy and I think that is what trips me up!. Thank you for your thoughts. They start my week off on the right foot!
wow what a beautiful post. Thank you for writing this… it was a wonderful way for me to start a Monday morning. So eloquently written. You took what is a complicated subject for some people and reminded them how simple and true God’s love is. I will read it again and again, Beautiful!
NPR sponsors this website that has provided some truly inspiritational space. Your post is worthy of a wider audience today.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138
Just yesterday my pastor equated the walk of a Christian to the walk of Dora (yes, the Exlorer). God will be with you when you go to the Desert and face temptations. Temptasions are of Satan and meant to harm. God will be with you in the Garden when you face Trials. Trials are of God and meant to draw you near. God will be with you at the Cross, when you face Tribulations. You will walk these three spaces just as Christ did, and with HIM, you will arrive at your destination with a jubilant shouting and a “job well done, my Good and Faithful Servant.”
Oh yeah – and Romans 8:28.
And we know that in ALL (not some, not most, but ALL) things, God works for good of those that love him.
Thank you Shannon. Very timely.
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
All we do, say and are, all we encounter and struggle against, may it all be for the glory and reknown of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Shannon, this is the best explanation one could ever reed. Beautiful and so very true. -hugs-
Beautifully worded.
Wow,very beautiful post Shannon! Thank you for sharing.
Wow,very beautiful post Shannon! Thank you for sharing.
Amen!
Beautiful!
Thanks for this reminder. I was struggling with this just this morning.
Yes.
Beautifully said.
Spectacularly brave and invitingly messy. I loved reading the comments from all your readers who also agreed with this humble post about real faith.
Thanks for sharing your heart and thoughts.
Yep. LOL.
But what I want to know is, how did you make this so succinct? It would have taken me 5,000 words to try to explain what you just did in 500 or less.
Thanks for taking the time to share this.
What beautiful words! Thank you for sharing them.
Thank you Shannon for such a wonderful post.
Beautifully put! Putting my faith in Christ has been the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s led to countless blessings, and it’s gotten me out of horrible messes.
Printing. Saving. Trusting.
Beautiful post, Shannon.
THANK YOU!!! Beautifully Written!
I agree wholeheartedly Shannon. Thanks for the reminder.
I think what you said was beautiful.
But it should also be said that I am Agnostic, and yet I can see the beauty in what you have said….not because I agree with your religion (Christianity is not my path), but because I agree with your SPIRITUAL message.
I believe in something beyond death, and the “concept” of God. I have experienced moments of such beauty and clarity that, for me, there is no denial that there is. But what keeps me going through the bad times is the idea (in my mind) that God is ALL, and IN all (note I didn’t say we were all gods, I don’t believe that), and present, and so I figure there has to be a reason, a lesson learned, from everything that we perceive as “bad”. Hitler wasn’t born as the Hitler we knew, he BECAME that monster, and yet, had he been killed before he brought his terror to the world, would we have learned the lessons we did? Yes, not everyone learned the lesson – not everyone was meant to – but I feel that it was key that SOME of us learned it and now fear that it will ever happen again. We are the ones who – even if we AREN’T Jews – can also stand and say “never again” because we have taken something away from that moment that leads us to try and preserve the piece of God that resides in us all, because we are all born as children, and all loved (even if not by our parents), and all cherished as part of the whole.
In the Gospel of Thomas (and yes, I know not all Christians accept it as a Gospel, but if not, it’s still enlightened), it is said that Jesus said that “The kingdom of God is inside you and all around you”. This is what I believe of God. I believe that God transcends our feeble ideas of “good” and “evil”, of “light” and “dark”, that God just IS.
You don’t have to believe that, it may not be your path. But know that THIS is how I reconcile the bad that may happen and how my own ‘faith’ (if you will) is not challenged.
I read this today right after reading a post over at the Farley’s site re; Copeland. It spoke so beautifully to my own bittersweet feelings about their plight. Thanks.
I will bring this to Bible Study this week and read it to my sisters! Beautifully said!
Shannon,
Simple faith – is there any other kind? Love this post!!!
Sherri
love that. wonderfully said and much of it is what i have been pondering too.
Absolutely beautifully written Shannon!
Absolutely beautifully written Shannon!
Now why couldn’t I say it like that? Really really beautiful and simple and clear and lovely.
Attagirl! Way2go!
What a lovely post. Very nice. As a convert from atheism, I can relate to a lot of what you’re saying. Thanks for articulating it so well!
Wow! Thanks for posting this.
Um, it appears that you have found at least ONE answer to a deep question that many people struggle with. And you will probably benefit from coming back again and again to read this post….thinking, YES, I need to hear this over and over. Because when God reveals answers to deep questions, stuff comes in and tries to cloud the issue and we need to constantly come back to the answer again and again. At least I DO……thanks for sharing from your heart!!!
Beautiful. We just had a Sunday School lesson on Suffering. What, Why, etc. This puts it perfectly. Thank you.
Very well put.
Thank you for the beautiful reminder of Gods love.
Wow, thank you so much for writing this. It hits me right in the soul.
Your description of your faith is so eloquent! What an inspiration, and a reminder of God’s unending love for us.
I needed that Shannon! Thanks so much for following the urge of the Holy Spirit to write this post.
Yes, He is absolutely worth it!!
What a great explanation of faith. Parenthood can teach us so much about God’s love and the ways he ‘parents’ us. Great post. Thanks for the reminder of God’s love and His view of the big picture!!
Thank you, dear friend. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful testimony of faith. God bless.
Love this post. Not too simple at all. It is refreshing to see people having the “faith of a little child”.
Beautifully put.
I always enjoy reading your blog. I love this post. It’s even better than the ones that make me laugh very hard, and make me smile. HE IS WORTH IT!
Amen. A simple faith is what I have, and you’ve explained it beautifully.
There are no words… so along with the masses, I say… just simply beautiful.
So true, and so eloquently written. Thanks for the reminder of God’s faithfulness and unconditional love.
I agree wholeheartedly – He is worth it.
This is an awesome post! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on faith!
Shannon,
What a beautifully written post. It was just what I needed to be reminded of today. We have a Father who is most DEFINITELY worth the risk!
Thank you for sharing! Have a great week!
Jennifer
After talking with a fellow blogger today about a post I wrote 2 days ago, she sent me over here to read yours for inspiration. I’m so glad I did. Just a beautiful post!
Thank you for this post! I love this line:
“I follow a God who has promised me peace and comfort and joy, but on His terms, not mine.”
How true, and how easy it is to become angry at God for this. As if my wisdom were equal to his, I often think that my terms are best. Let’s pray that God gives us more faith to trust in His terms.
Cahleen
Beautiful and wonderfully said. Thank you!
God is good, ALL the time! How quickly we forget what He has already done for us. The times we start to panic or question are the times we need to start counting those blessings and fall on our knees in amazement.
Our God is AWESOME!
As someone who struggles daily with the “Why” question, this post really hits be hard. Thank you.
Amen and thank you – I needed to take a moment and read that. It hit the right spot in my life right now. 🙂
Beautiful, Shannon… and yes… he IS worth the risk!
Great, great post!
Beautiful post and not too simple an analogy at all. It is what it is.
Thanks!
Shannon, I’ve really been struggling with pregnancy issues recently (gestational diabetes) and shaking my fist at everything and everyone. I know I wasn’t promised a smooth ride, but it’s just been so hard and seemingly so unfair. And then I read your post yesterday. I really, truly needed to hear this. It helped me put things back into perspective. Thank you so much for posting it.
So well written and I have to say very glorifying to God and uplifting to me. Thank you my bloggy friend! May God bless you and your family.
I know you’ve got a lot of comments already, but I wanted to tell you that I’m just another somebody that you touched with that post. Thanks so much!
i am not a believer but you have made me think
How beautifully your words are put, how simple and yet effective. Touching right into the heart of me. How difficuilt it sure is to explain God’s love and care to those who do not believe. Even to those who do believe in God but do not have a personal relationship with Him. How sad it makes my heart to think of how much they are missing out on. Thank you for your wonderful words. It sure is a masterpeace from the heart worth sharing. God bless you in all you do.
I think you just followed 1 Peter 3:15-16 perfectly.. I loved reading this post!
God bless,
Sallie
Thank you for this beautiful post. My husband and I are going through a difficult time right now. For the first time I am truly relying on Him for strength, and He has been faithful. My husband on the other hand is feeling abandoned. I will print this for him to bolster his faith and remind him that we all waiver sometimes but all it takes is one step toward the Righteous One, and he will carry us for the rest of the journey.
AMEN and thank you for the lovely reminder!!
Oh my, I am choking on a huge lump in my throat and trying not to cry at work. What a wonderful post.
Personally I could NOT survive otherwise.
A lesson I did from Lisas online I AM Bible Study probably says it best….
Quoting me:
“God promises us in Isaiah 43:2 that “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I WILL be with you.”
“I have to stand on this promise and KNOW its true. I have to believe it will all my being. There is no room for doubt. I always picture Peter when he’s walking on the water towards Jesus. As Peter looked down and saw the scary waves he began to doubt and what did he do? He started to sink.
I can NOT afford to look down at the waves lest I sink and surely drown. I MUST keep my eyes focused on Jesus. It’s the only way I’ve been able to continue putting one foot in front of the other.”
I often wonder how I’ve managed to continue on all these years. 14 years to be exact. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that its not I but rather we…..
Jesus and I
He is my strength. His grace is sufficient and when I think my feet will not move one more step I just look upward. The SON shines brightly down on me.
Little Ole’ me…….
The keeper of this gate.
YES…His grace is amazing.
Beautiful post Shannon :0)
Trina
Shannon,
Thank you so very much. This beautiful post brought me to tears. It speaks exactly what is in my heart of hearts where my faith is concerned. I watch my twenty year old daughter struggling with her own faith. A faith she held onto for dear life only a couple of years ago, and my heart breaks. I fear for her, that she will be swayed. I know the promises about raising her in the Way, I pray for her, that she will know the truth for herself, and find what her heart longs for. But my mama-heart breaks as I watch her go through struggles so like the ones I went through at her age. The Gentle Great Shepherd drew me back to the fold. His faithfulness and love rescued me. I know He’s chasing after her, wooing her. I just hope she responds to the truth and doesn’t get distracted in this time of wavering. It’s good to be reminded that I was once where she is. And in my heart, I believe. I just do. It is my response to His track record in my life. Being reminded of that today gives me peace, and I appreciate it more than I can tell you.
~TaunaLen
Beautifully said!!! Faith = Forsaking All! _ I Take Him.
This post is so beautiful and well written -I have had the same thoughts, but could never write them so well! Bless you for writing it 🙂
Found you over at Blog In My Eye’s “God Posts” post from October 7th…
Beautiful post… you are so right about faith being simple! My favorite definition of faith comes from Max Lucado: “Faith is simply believing God can do something and hoping that He will…” Doesn’t get more simple than that. And yes, He is most definitely worth the risk!