Faith is trusting without knowing for sure. If we were certain and we knew for sure there would be no need to trust. Then we would know. But since we don’t know, we are compelled to trust and hope that what we trust is in some way true.
Of course this makes many of us uncomfortable. We would like to know for sure. So, sometimes we act like we are more certain than we really are. This is certainly true about religion but it can also be said about politics, economics, science, technology and history. In religion, we sing hymns, recite creeds, pray the same prayers everyday, attend worship services and try to encourage and convince ourselves that our faith and our way of looking at the world, is well placed. But, in those moments, when we observe the craziness and unpredictability of the world, we remain unsure.
Maybe like you, I want to be a person who trusts without any doubts. I think and believe there is something going on with some sense of order to it, something I can understand, some force at the heart of the universe, for us and not against us. For example, I ask myself why was there anything available in the first place for there to be a big bang? Where did that something come from? I get that some of our images of God are anthropomorphic and anthropopathic. And I ask myself what are we doing here living on this planet floating and rotating in black space. So, I am a person of faith but I'm not sure I am right. This sort of wrestling with faith is at the heart and soul of all religion. We know and we know that we don't know.
For some, this kind of talk is a sign of pride, weakness or lack of conviction. For me it is following the biblical command to “love the lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind.” I do not believe that God gave us minds in order that we not use them to pursue the truth. What do you think?
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