thoughts on faith

"there's a reason we refer to "leaps of faith" -- because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and I don't care how diligently scholars of every religion will try to sit you down with their stacks of books and prove to you through scripture that their faith is indeed rational; it isn't. If faith were rational, it wouldn't be-- by definition-- faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be . . . a prudent insurance policy.

"i'm not interested in the insurance industry. i'm tired of being a skeptic, i'm irritated by spiritual prudence and i feel bored and parched by empirical debate. i don't want to hear it anymore. i couldn't care less about evidence and proof and assurances. i just want God. i want God inside me. I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on water." --elizabeth gilbert, eat pray love

i agree, and couldn't have said it better myself. what do you think? she does not ascribe to the christian faith, but i believe that there is wisdom to be found in all things, and that in God's pursuit of captivating our hearts, he can speak to those that aren't by definition, Christian. so then, is it wrong for me to agree because she is not a christian?

when it boils down to it, in our seeking after the Lord, we long for an intimate experience of Him to radiate from within our souls and throughout our living being. that is why we soak in the presence of the Holy Spirit, to be radically changed, renewed, revived by His presence. scholars, theologians, and historians aside; i believe in the Bible through faith. my proof may or may not be manifested by historical evidence. my proof is in the way that God has had His hand on my life since a young age; in the way i've grown up even without guidance in faith, but having it realized in my life by His divine intervention. my proof is in that majestic moment where a life goes from fetus to infant with that first gasp of air. my proof is in answered prayer, and healing, and transformation, and breakthrough; right before my very eyes.

but this must be coupled with the truth found in His word. what we have to learn from Christ's living example, not just our own experience of "who" God is. the two must sing harmoniously, echoing each other in perfect key. they must dance in unison, neither one taking the sole lead; rather their steps planned and executed in perfect timing. i learned a phrase coined by a progressive mennonite man last week:

if you live only by the word, you'll dry up.

if you live only by the spirit, you'll blow up.

if you live by both, you'll grow up.

***

"the search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. in the search for God, you revert from what attracts you and swim toward that which is difficult. you abandon your comforting and familiar habits with the hope (the mere hope!) that something greater will be offered you in return from what you've given up. "

i can totally relate. but it's not just a hope, its an assurance we have through faith. amen.