One writer has said "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen". Things hoped for...things unseen. What then is my greatest hope? Long life, happiness, grandchildren, health, eternal life, world peace? All of these are virtuous, I think.
I want to live to be 100, if my mind is lucid and my body is healthy. I would like to witness what challenges the world has faced, and its leaders overcome, in over a century. Will we make it to Mars in my lifetime? What technological advances will the world make in the next 51 years?
Secondly, can humans actually achieve happiness? Is happiness a worthwhile goal? Or is the pursuit of happiness where we actually find it?
Thirdly, I want to live to see my son have children. I want to know what it is to be a granddad. Some of my friends are already grandparents, and the looks on their faces lead me to believe it is a grand thing to be a grandparent.
I think to have the gift of health is also something we all desire. Moreover, I think maintaining health is as important to those I love as it is to me. Having healthy habits shows love not only for yourself but love for others. At least I hope they want me around for a while.
And world peace is not something relegated to an utterance by those hoping to become Miss America. I really would like to live in a world where there is no fear from the encroachment of terrorists.
Finally, I hope for eternal life. From my previous post I think one can ascertain that I believe in a higher power, I believe that all men (and women) were made by Him. I believe that we are imbued with something of God's substance. And because of that I believe that there is an eternal nature in each person. If I hope for eternal life, I must hope that it is in the presence of God.
If I hope to be eternally in the presence of God, How do i get there? Many people believe there is a way to work ones way into the presence of God. I recently tried my hand at participating in a discussion group. The substance of that discussion dealt with performance based entrance into the presence of God. The leader of the discussion held that we could work our way into heaven. One question he failed to address was how much good work was enough? His response was that we would find out once we got into the presence of God.
Muslims also believe in such a salvation. Buddhists believe in a path to Nirvana that includes separation from the material world. Jews believe the path to salvation is in following the Torah and many ancillary dictates from tradition and Rabbinical interpretations.
But my question remains the same: how much good is enough to get to eternal life? I am not so sure we can ever be so good. I am not so sure we can perform enough good works to get God's attention much less His eternal grace.
I think the question most certainly has to be addressed by God Himself; and I can only find one answer purportedly given by God Himself. Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father except by me" (Jn 14:6). Earlier in that passage Jesus said to trust in God the Father and in Him (Jesus) and He would make a place in heaven for us.
This, and other passages, take the focus off of my personal efforts to attain eternal life. And they place the onus of salvation where it can be given, and if it is given it must be received. If it is received the gift cannot be taken away. Salvation is safest when it is a gift. It is fragile when it depends upon me to maintain it. Under Jesus' plan I don't have to do anything to earn it. I don't have to be accountable for sins past, present, or future. It frees me to love God because he is altogether lovely. A relationship based upon love rather than action. Is that not truly love? It frees me to do for God what He wants of me, not what He requires of me. It does, however, require me to place my hope and trust in Christ for my salvation.
My greatest hope is that not only am I awarded the grace ushering me into eternity with God, but that all might taste of that gift. It is the thing that I hope for and my life is the evidence of things not seen. And I'll hold that thought for next time.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Cracks...
We all start by assuming things, do we not? Yes, I understand what assumptions do to people. Yet we all assume certain things to be true; some would say factual. I would say we all operate our lives believing certain things can be counted upon. Some of these assumptions are based on fact, some are based in myth, and some are based in "old-wives tales". But we all operate our lives from the standpoint of something. I remember as a child the old saying "step on a crack...and you break your momma's back". Well, I don't know about you, but I avoided cracks in the sidewalk like they were the plague. I would dodge them in anyway possible. I know that sounds silly, but to a six year old boy, it made perfect sense to me. I assumed that to be true, and I acted in a way that it was true for me in my life.
And people are like that in everything they do. They hear little tidbits of what they think is truth and they incorporate it into their lives. It becomes a part of them. It is folded into how they think, they way they act, and the things they pass on to other people.
Some think that the only objective knowledge (knowledge that is not tainted by underlying assumptions) available to us is derived from scientific research. Not so; even scientific inquiry is guided by underlying assumptions that may be proven, or not. Both inductive and deductive reasoning involve some level of assuming. So, we all display the tendency of placing oneself out on a limb, so to speak, in solving the mysteries of life. Whether that involves science, politics, philosophy, or driving a car.
Think about it. No one has ever seen evolution in operation; no one has ever lived long enough to witness it. What is wrong with us? Anyone with any sense knows you can only trust that which you can see. How many of us have seen a combustion engine actually working? Oh yeah, and when was the last time you saw a US Senate hearing? But we accept (assume) that these activities are happening (some more so than others). Sounds a bit like we act a lot from the standpoint of faith to me...
It seems to me that faith emerges as a core virtue to humanity. Why? Because we operate in an environment where faith is necessary for the operation of life - and not just in the life of a religious people. If you consider any number of activities you find that a mode of operation involving faith. It is as essential to our mental/psychological/spiritual makeup as breathing is to our physiological makeup.
As a matter of fact, we place a lot of faith in our physiological makeup just by emerging from a state of sleep every day, or that we trust our brains to continue connecting with the major organs of our bodies to enable them to perform the functions they perform. From a psychological standpoint we would live lives of paranoia, if we could not count on the involuntary functions of the human body to perform. Can you imagine wondering if your body was going to continue its operations during the night as you slept? Yes, we all exemplify an extraordinary amount of faith each day.
One writer has explained faith this way: it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Meaning, you cannot always see the object of your belief, but you trust that it is there nonetheless. In some cases you can see traces of its existence, but not a coherent whole that makes it undeniably real and provable. And this is where faith steps in. You sense something is, but you cannot prove it is. You hope something is there, but you cannot touch it. It is just not provable to the human senses. It is beyond the human experience, and somehow you know it is there.
I think of my spirit in much the same way. I cannot prove it is there. I cannot see it. I cannot touch it, but I see traces of its existence nonetheless. I look into the eyes of others and I see something wholly different than what I see in the eyes of those who have no life. The form of a human is so much different alive than when it is dead. Is it the heartbeat that makes the difference? Is it the act of breathing that quickens a life? Is it the brain that enables these functions to operate? No, I think it is so much more. I assume it is there, and I cannot see it. I assume it is there, and I cannot touch it. I assume it is there, and I cannot hear it.
I have never seen God at any time, and somehow I know He is. I know it does not make sense to believe in something beyond this existence, but I do. I see traces of His existence woven in and out of Creation. It is by faith that I acknowledge His existence. Even though in my mind I cannot completely make sense of Him, and His reality, I know He is there. But there are cracks in the veneer of the physical realm that reveal His presence. These cracks are glimpses into the eternal. They are hints of something beyond. These openings give us hope and faith that I am not alone in this world. They reveal a greatness beyond what I can see, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Believe me, it makes all the difference in how one perceives the world.
I must confess, I sometimes side step cracks in the sidewalk to this day.
And people are like that in everything they do. They hear little tidbits of what they think is truth and they incorporate it into their lives. It becomes a part of them. It is folded into how they think, they way they act, and the things they pass on to other people.
Some think that the only objective knowledge (knowledge that is not tainted by underlying assumptions) available to us is derived from scientific research. Not so; even scientific inquiry is guided by underlying assumptions that may be proven, or not. Both inductive and deductive reasoning involve some level of assuming. So, we all display the tendency of placing oneself out on a limb, so to speak, in solving the mysteries of life. Whether that involves science, politics, philosophy, or driving a car.
Think about it. No one has ever seen evolution in operation; no one has ever lived long enough to witness it. What is wrong with us? Anyone with any sense knows you can only trust that which you can see. How many of us have seen a combustion engine actually working? Oh yeah, and when was the last time you saw a US Senate hearing? But we accept (assume) that these activities are happening (some more so than others). Sounds a bit like we act a lot from the standpoint of faith to me...
It seems to me that faith emerges as a core virtue to humanity. Why? Because we operate in an environment where faith is necessary for the operation of life - and not just in the life of a religious people. If you consider any number of activities you find that a mode of operation involving faith. It is as essential to our mental/psychological/spiritual makeup as breathing is to our physiological makeup.
As a matter of fact, we place a lot of faith in our physiological makeup just by emerging from a state of sleep every day, or that we trust our brains to continue connecting with the major organs of our bodies to enable them to perform the functions they perform. From a psychological standpoint we would live lives of paranoia, if we could not count on the involuntary functions of the human body to perform. Can you imagine wondering if your body was going to continue its operations during the night as you slept? Yes, we all exemplify an extraordinary amount of faith each day.
One writer has explained faith this way: it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Meaning, you cannot always see the object of your belief, but you trust that it is there nonetheless. In some cases you can see traces of its existence, but not a coherent whole that makes it undeniably real and provable. And this is where faith steps in. You sense something is, but you cannot prove it is. You hope something is there, but you cannot touch it. It is just not provable to the human senses. It is beyond the human experience, and somehow you know it is there.
I think of my spirit in much the same way. I cannot prove it is there. I cannot see it. I cannot touch it, but I see traces of its existence nonetheless. I look into the eyes of others and I see something wholly different than what I see in the eyes of those who have no life. The form of a human is so much different alive than when it is dead. Is it the heartbeat that makes the difference? Is it the act of breathing that quickens a life? Is it the brain that enables these functions to operate? No, I think it is so much more. I assume it is there, and I cannot see it. I assume it is there, and I cannot touch it. I assume it is there, and I cannot hear it.
I have never seen God at any time, and somehow I know He is. I know it does not make sense to believe in something beyond this existence, but I do. I see traces of His existence woven in and out of Creation. It is by faith that I acknowledge His existence. Even though in my mind I cannot completely make sense of Him, and His reality, I know He is there. But there are cracks in the veneer of the physical realm that reveal His presence. These cracks are glimpses into the eternal. They are hints of something beyond. These openings give us hope and faith that I am not alone in this world. They reveal a greatness beyond what I can see, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Believe me, it makes all the difference in how one perceives the world.
I must confess, I sometimes side step cracks in the sidewalk to this day.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Why this is important to me?
I have spent my life attempting to answer questions as they come to me. Some are simple; many are complex. But all, I believe, to be important.
But what are the reasons answering questions is important? Why not accept things blindly and move along? We do have experts in almost any field, don't we? We can trust them to lead us in the right direction, can't we? Experience is a great teacher, isn't it? What about our faith? Can we not trust the ancient writings to give us the answers to all our problems? We can have faith in science can't we?
I guess the answer to all these questions is, "it depends". Wow! What a relativistic/postmodern standpoint for me to take, but until I begin answering the important questions in my life, how else can I answer except, it depends? I know what I believe, what I need to understand is why I believe what I believe.
And this is it - my attempt to examine why I believe what I believe.
But what are the reasons answering questions is important? Why not accept things blindly and move along? We do have experts in almost any field, don't we? We can trust them to lead us in the right direction, can't we? Experience is a great teacher, isn't it? What about our faith? Can we not trust the ancient writings to give us the answers to all our problems? We can have faith in science can't we?
I guess the answer to all these questions is, "it depends". Wow! What a relativistic/postmodern standpoint for me to take, but until I begin answering the important questions in my life, how else can I answer except, it depends? I know what I believe, what I need to understand is why I believe what I believe.
And this is it - my attempt to examine why I believe what I believe.
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