I Believe

If you're like me, anytime you hear the word "belief", you immediately think of religion. This is as it should be since we are created beings and at our very core have some consciousness of or connection with a Creator. Who hasn't at times (or many times) asked the questions, "Who am I?", "Where did I come from?", "Why am I here?" or "Where am I going?" What we may not realize as readily, however, is how much belief is hard-wired into the very fabric of our being. Even our modern day computer systems use a binary code, which is, quite simply, a series of 1's and 0's packed together in a certain order to identify the tasks to be performed. These two digits represent the status of "yes" or "no", "go" or "no go", "on" or "off", "true" or "false". As humans hundreds of times daily we assign a probability of truth to information received that can impact decisions we make or, at best, how we react to or receive the informer. Most of this activity is done quite unconciously, and only when we reflect on events do we then see the level of credibility that we have assigned. Let me demonstrate. You may give me a gift [and if you want to, I'll be glad to set up PayPal]. Getting the gift is fact because I have it in hand. But why I received the gift brings belief into play. Did I receive it because you like me, love me, pity me or want something from me? Information is added when I take into consideration what I know about you and your life, recent events that we both may have experienced, or your very words. Even if you tell me why you gave it, I must assign a level of truth to your words. Unless I simply trust you. The sadness of it all is that we have gotten away from simple trust. Why? Because our trust has been violated time and time again. Our vulnerability has opened us up to hurt. As children trust and belief walked hand in hand within us, mixed in with a healthy dose of love. Even when injured or insulted, it wasn't long before we were ready to trust again. It was necessary to our sense of security. As we get older the time it takes to restore trust gets longer, I think. God wants us to be children again. Not playing in sandboxes with blue sand [although that's pretty cool some times], but simply trusting and allowing him to heal the hurt when and if that trust is broken. We not only need to trust for our own well being, but others who are hurting need to see the trust in us. Perfect love, as outlined in I Corinthians 13 always trusts. He never meant for us to have all the answers, just trust him to sort it all out. When we do so, we begin to get answers that will astound us and help us with this marvelous journey that we are on. Believe it.
STEVE

Statement of Faith

I have mixed emotions about statements of faith. On the one hand they seem to bind you to a certain dogma, implying that there is no room for freedom, growth or movement. However, they provide a simple method to list the basic tenets of your faith. Within the past 2+ years I have encountered the writings of a Scottish novelist/poet/theologian by the name of George MacDonald, and they have had a profound impact on me. Buried in a collection titled Unspoken Sermons I found a selection of comments on what he believed, which could be considered a loosely structured statement of faith. I think that he, on the whole, avoided set creeds; he saw them as instruments that could interfere with what our heavenly Father is trying to teach us directly. But I found his words to be full of life and hope, and I will be listing them to the left. I would also like to share some thoughts on his thoughts; and I would welcome your thoughts as well. Feel free to comment --- both of you!
STEVE