Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The age old question about faith - How can you believe in something you cannot see? The standard answer - I cannot see the air or the wind, yet I believe they are real. Nor can I see my own breath, yet I know it exists, and it keeps me alive.
“Yeah, but what about really polluted air? We can see that, so your point is invalid.”
True, in some parts of the world the air is quite visible - although technically it is particulate matter being carried by the air, like smoke or dust or pollen, that we see, not the air itself.
“Yeah, but what about when it’s cold out? We can see our breath then, so your point is invalid.” True, breath can be seen at certain temperatures, but that is a matter of the moisture in our warm breath condensing into mist when it hits the cold air. We still can’t see the air, only something being carried by the air.
Yeah, but what about . . . Whenever I hear a sentence beginning with those words I anticipate that the rest of the sentence will be an attempt to deflect from the actual topic. Yes, sometimes there are specific cases that seem to contradict a given statement, but they are often the exception that proves the rule. Seeing smoke in the air is not the same thing as seeing the air. While I am busy defending against the contradiction we are losing track of the point.
Faith is . . . the conviction of things not seen. The fact that I cannot see it is why faith is required. The fact that I cannot touch it or smell it or taste it but yet I firmly believe it is why it is a matter of faith . . . in whatever it is that I have faith in. I have faith that the sun will come up tomorrow. I have faith that my God will be there whenever I am in pain or sorrow and when I am filled with joy.
I didn’t always have faith that God was good and loving, forgiving and merciful. But when a friend asked whether I could believe that she believed those things, my answer was yes. Believing in her belief carried me until I could claim faith in that God, the one who only wants the best for me, who grieves when I grieve, who laughs with me on joyous occasions, and who holds me in all of the “yeah, but” times. Even - maybe especially - when my faith is shaky.
Faithful and steadfast God, your love overwhelms me. Even when I do not believe in you, you believe in me. You wait until I am ready to come to you. May the “yeah, buts” in my life not distract me from my faith in you. Amen
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