Figuring out Faith
My friend Will delivered a great sermon at his church in Corpus Christi over the weekend, called Doubting, Faithless, Believing Thomas. If you want to read it, just click on the Rev. Will Rice link to the right.
Jesus was with Thomas in his doubt, and he was with Thomas when he believed. Jesus met him where he was. As GLBT Christians, we probably experience more doubt than anyone because we've been told over and over again that God has a problem with us, and that thought naturally injects doubt into our journey of faith. There can be doubt at the core of our relationship with God about its validity and there can be regular ole doubt that all Christians probably experience, regarding circumstances, God's will, etc. Doubt, doubt, doubt. Will helps put it all in perspective.
Last week one of the passages I focused on was Matthew 21:21-22. It says (NRSV):
Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
I seriously doubt my ability to make the Rockies dive into the Pacific. But if God had given me that gift of rearranging geography, I bet I could do it.
Maybe what Jesus is saying here is not that faith gives us license to perform all sorts of random miracles just for the heck of it, but rather that faith equips us to use our own gifts to the best of our abilities. Faith may not allow us to change our hair color to pink no matter how strongly we believe in the possibility, but it can invoke small miracles in our circumstances and move us through whatever the challenge of the moment happens to be. If we're committed to our own gifts and we believe in God's ability to use them to the fullest, that is.
My mom always taught me to pray according to God's will, and I always do. But the way I view God's will has changed over the past few years. I used to subscribe to the idea that God's will was most often opposite mine, and that by submitting to God's will I would have to give up something I really wanted. But the more I pray and experience God, the more I believe it's likely that God's will is right in line with my own. Before lightning strikes, let me explain.
God has spent my entire life preparing me for whatever it is I'm supposed to do. I've prayed and God has answered, I've studied and God has revealed, I've experienced and God has affirmed. It hasn't been smooth sailing the whole time, but for the most part God and I have maintained a steady relationship. As a natural part of the process, God has refined me and fine-tuned my gifts so I'm better able to use them for the greater good. Since God has invested this kind of time in me, it's only right to include some sort of vision for the future so I know that I'm on the right track and not just willy nilly following the wind. Although I would do that too if I thought God was using it to lead me.
By giving me an overall vision for my life it helps me determine whether or not something I want is God's will--whether my will and God's will are in harmony or not. If something I want is good and would contribute to the overall vision that God has given me, then it's probably God's will. If not, then it's not. Could I be wrong about the details getting from point A to point B? Absolutely. But faith tells me I'll get there anyway.
God doesn't give us gifts and deny us the opportunity to use them. Becoming more aware of our own gifts is part of the maturity process as Christians, and wanting to bring glory to God helps us seize the opportunity to use them.
I'm not offering a formula for figuring out God's will! I'm just thinking in print. My point is I don't think God brings us along a certain path and shows us the way, only to will things for our lives that are the exact opposite of what we have come to want for ourselves. Maturing as Christians changes the way we view the world and our own lives, and it causes us to want the same healthy things God wants for us. Obviously, if I decide I want a million dollars I could be wrong about that being God's will for my life. But if I discover something else to be an opportunity to bring glory to God and spread some love, then God probably wants it too.
This blog could go on forever. What if we think we're on the right track and we find major obstacles in the road? Does that mean it's not God's will? Hasn't God equipped us to overcome obstacles and won't doing so strengthen us for the next challenge? So many thoughts and questions. It's a good thing the Christian journey is lifelong.
Jesus was with Thomas in his doubt, and he was with Thomas when he believed. Jesus met him where he was. As GLBT Christians, we probably experience more doubt than anyone because we've been told over and over again that God has a problem with us, and that thought naturally injects doubt into our journey of faith. There can be doubt at the core of our relationship with God about its validity and there can be regular ole doubt that all Christians probably experience, regarding circumstances, God's will, etc. Doubt, doubt, doubt. Will helps put it all in perspective.
Last week one of the passages I focused on was Matthew 21:21-22. It says (NRSV):
Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
I seriously doubt my ability to make the Rockies dive into the Pacific. But if God had given me that gift of rearranging geography, I bet I could do it.
Maybe what Jesus is saying here is not that faith gives us license to perform all sorts of random miracles just for the heck of it, but rather that faith equips us to use our own gifts to the best of our abilities. Faith may not allow us to change our hair color to pink no matter how strongly we believe in the possibility, but it can invoke small miracles in our circumstances and move us through whatever the challenge of the moment happens to be. If we're committed to our own gifts and we believe in God's ability to use them to the fullest, that is.
My mom always taught me to pray according to God's will, and I always do. But the way I view God's will has changed over the past few years. I used to subscribe to the idea that God's will was most often opposite mine, and that by submitting to God's will I would have to give up something I really wanted. But the more I pray and experience God, the more I believe it's likely that God's will is right in line with my own. Before lightning strikes, let me explain.
God has spent my entire life preparing me for whatever it is I'm supposed to do. I've prayed and God has answered, I've studied and God has revealed, I've experienced and God has affirmed. It hasn't been smooth sailing the whole time, but for the most part God and I have maintained a steady relationship. As a natural part of the process, God has refined me and fine-tuned my gifts so I'm better able to use them for the greater good. Since God has invested this kind of time in me, it's only right to include some sort of vision for the future so I know that I'm on the right track and not just willy nilly following the wind. Although I would do that too if I thought God was using it to lead me.
By giving me an overall vision for my life it helps me determine whether or not something I want is God's will--whether my will and God's will are in harmony or not. If something I want is good and would contribute to the overall vision that God has given me, then it's probably God's will. If not, then it's not. Could I be wrong about the details getting from point A to point B? Absolutely. But faith tells me I'll get there anyway.
God doesn't give us gifts and deny us the opportunity to use them. Becoming more aware of our own gifts is part of the maturity process as Christians, and wanting to bring glory to God helps us seize the opportunity to use them.
I'm not offering a formula for figuring out God's will! I'm just thinking in print. My point is I don't think God brings us along a certain path and shows us the way, only to will things for our lives that are the exact opposite of what we have come to want for ourselves. Maturing as Christians changes the way we view the world and our own lives, and it causes us to want the same healthy things God wants for us. Obviously, if I decide I want a million dollars I could be wrong about that being God's will for my life. But if I discover something else to be an opportunity to bring glory to God and spread some love, then God probably wants it too.
This blog could go on forever. What if we think we're on the right track and we find major obstacles in the road? Does that mean it's not God's will? Hasn't God equipped us to overcome obstacles and won't doing so strengthen us for the next challenge? So many thoughts and questions. It's a good thing the Christian journey is lifelong.
posted by Jen Austin at 12:25 PM
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