All journeys large and small start with a single step. Each step is significant but each step missed or step backward may be even more so. I think this is even truer in regards to faith
Whatever side of the fence you fall on, faith is a significant issue for each and every one of us. I know – you’re saying to yourself that I have clearly forgotten about atheists, but the truth is that even the choice not to believe in God is a choice of faith. Choosing to say there is no higher power of any kind means that you have faith that the life you are leading has no purpose outside of just spending a few decades wandering this planet and accomplishing whatever can be done in that time frame. I personally choose to believe there is purpose to life and that being a person of faith – Christian or otherwise – allows us to discover our purposes. I also have come to believe that faith is a far broader concept than has been presented in many church organizations throughout the years. It is this broadened idea of faith – specifically Christianity – that caused me to want to open this dialogue.
You see, as a single woman inching every so quickly toward that mid-century mark I am looking at my life – the one I have already lived and what is lying before me – and trying to decide if I have done what I was put here to. Somehow I don’t think I have but I am more determined than ever to find that purpose and act on it. That’s why I am starting this new journey and opening the door to new tools to assist with this research. While I will be using some traditional things like devotionals and scripture study, I am also venturing down the path of “alternative” therapy. Nope, I’m not experimenting with Chinese herbs, wacky weed or other mind altering substances. Instead, I’m going to be using something that many think may be even more “out there”. I will be meeting with an “Intuitive” and also participating in a little hypno-therapy. Yes, it’s unusual and yes, I’m at once terrified and really excited.
Now I know that many might say that just participating in these things reduces or may even eliminate my credibility as a Christian. After all, doesn’t is say in Leviticus 19, “Do not practice divination or seek omens”? Yes, it does, and I must admit that the thought has made me pause. I love my God and I don’t want to actively do something that is against His will or wishes. That said, I believe two things. First, I believe that my God created each and every one of us in unique and wonderful ways and each of our paths to find him and discover who we are in the grand scheme of things is often ugly, scarred and crooked, but I fully trust the result is worth every ounce of the struggle to get there. I also believe that many of the things which are taken at face value in the Bible have been misrepresented and misused out of fear or the desire to control others. I do not believe it’s possible that a God that is truly omnipotent, omniscient, and the true definition of love would give people abilities that are at their core evil nor would He provide these abilities at one time and then remove them at another. I believe that the God who created the universe (and I believe He did) with all of the signs and wonders within it could also gift humans with the ability to see beyond that which is in the natural world and help those who are in pain. Now, I understand that many who have read the Bible will argue that this is tempting the Devil but isn’t it true that throughout the Bible there is evidence of those who could foresee the future? And weren’t those who were called prophets honored, not reviled? It is only in our more recent times as we have moved further away from Jesus’s coming that we have become more fearful of people that are skilled in these areas. I venture to say that Noah, were he to live today, would not have had the happy ending that Steve Carell did in the movie Evan Almighty. He would more likely have been committed to an insane asylum and given extremely powerful medications to eliminate the voices that ruled his actions. Could the person I am going to see be lying about what she “sees” or “knows”? Of course. That, after all, is human nature. But the other side of that coin is that she may be able to help me find answers and insights that I am unable to glean on my own due to past experiences.
Here’s what I’m hoping to gain. I’m hoping to be able to gain perspective on my past which will hopefully open doors in the future. In a way, I see it as returning to your elementary school as an adult. Your memory tells you it was this huge building with long hallways and enormous rooms but the reality is far different. Maybe when I look back on some of the things that have kept me from extending my arms to embrace the world around me will end up being equally unintimidating. Who knows, but I’m willing to find out.
Here is what I propose.
Come walk with me down this interesting road for a while and let’s discover what is over the next hill. Let’s open the dialogue about who God is, what faith is, and what both God and Faith can do for all of us. Let’s be willing to talk, laugh and cry together over the things we discover. I’m certain it will be a road worth taking. Come join me!
crookedroadfaith 