Yesterday I shared a post by Carl McColman entitled “The Contemplative Life in Three Easy Steps.” I mentioned how I shared his perspective on prayer as it may evolve over time. From a simply legalistic view to a more unitive, contemplative view.
My own prayer and faith keep me on my toes. What I thought was simple yesterday has today become more involved. And, in some cases tossed on the trash pile. Such is the way faith and faithfulness works. It’s not static or one size fits all. I’m thankful for that. At the same time, I wish that it wasn’t so. I think it would be much easier if the faith once given and accepted would remain as it is. Yeah, people should grow and mature. But, the Faith? Nope. It should be bedrock and unmovable.
It appears, though, that God has a sense of humor. God gets Divine Jollies by tossing curveballs at us. What we thought and believed yesterday no longer applies. The things that we ignored or rationalized by saying that believing is seeing, rather than seeing is believing are acceptable for children and infants. Not so much for mature adults. It’s sad that so many adults don’t understand that. But, that’s a topic for another post.
Over the last several years I have struggled with faith. Especially, as it was described to me in the Evangelical churches I was a part of. In fact, after I left the last church in 2012 I had difficulty even walking into any church. Church PTSD is a real thing. Even today there are certain churches that I become severely anxious walking into.
That said, I have begun to understand a bit better where some of these folks are coming from. While there are wide gaps in our understanding of theology, God, the Bible, etc., there is also a kinship that cannot be denied. With any sibling relationship there are bound to be rivalries. Familial disagreements and arguments will flair up. Some of them will most assuredly be difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile. That’s the reality of things.
Is that the way things should be? Perhaps not. But, it is the easiest way.
It’s easy for me to look at people like Robert Jeffress, Jerry Falwell, Jr., or Sarah Sanders. These are people that it’s very easy for me to dislike and regard in a poor light. After all, everything that they seem to say looks like it’s contrary to the “clear teaching of Scripture.” That’s funny, because I’m usually the first one to say that there is no such thing. The Scriptures are multifaceted. There really is no one, clear way to understand all of it.
So, I’m left with choices. I can make the easy choice and simply dismiss these people as dismally misguided. Even as heretics! And, I can provide a sound Biblical basis for that pronouncement. I could even find justification by pointing the many, many victims of the toxic theology that sometimes comes from these folks.
I could also choose to not go there. I can choose to accept that we are not all at the same point on our journeys. We may not even be on the same path! If we are, however, trying our best to walk where God desires us each to walk, then we are still fellow travelers. Maybe even siblings.
There’s a lot more that I may unpack about this. One blog post isn’t a statement of faith. Nor, can it be comprehensive in scope.
If you would like to share a bit of your story, please use the comments. And, be sure to select Subscribe in the sidebar to receive notifications about future posts.
Be First to Comment