Faith is Beyond Me

You have heard folks admit defeat when they are completely stumped and just don't get it and you will often hear them say, "it's beyond me." There are a lot of things beyond us and that is what makes life such a thrilling adventure. Watching an airplane lift off the ground for the first time was way beyond me as a little boy. Actually, I'm still amazed at the sight of such a huge piece of metal rising from the ground and getting lost in the clouds. There is such a sense of amazement and discovery in life when we get beyond us. When something is beyond me and I know that I don't have the mental or emotional capacity to understand it then I am left with a decision. Do I trust what I see? I ride airplanes and so I have come to grips with the fact that I don't have to be a rocket scientist to ride an airplane. In essence, I have put my complete trust in the rocket scientists and the aviation experts to build a plane that will safely get me to where I want to go.

Trusting seems to be the mainstay of faith. If I couldn't trust then I would never be able to get through this life. Trusting the airplane is relatively easy to accept because I have tangible proof every day about air travel but faith experiences help me to grow. They are like energy bursts that thrust me forward. Kids that grow up without some one to trust have a difficult time in life because they haven't experienced what faith can do. I remember my kids jumping off the side of the swimming pool and into my arms the very first time. They had that look in their eyes like, "okay, here it goes, dad will catch me." Two significant things happened when they jumped into my arms. They learned a little bit about trust and faith. I learned how to impart trust and faith.

The Lord says that faith and trust in Him is better than our own understanding and so real faith has nothing to do with our comprehension.

Proverbs 3:5,6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Now here's the rub. If I am trying to understand God so that I can believe in God then I am missing that energy burst that comes from trust and faith. The Lord created us with the need for relationship. Looking for a partner in life has become a desperate search for many because there is a real void that needs to filled by that special someone. There is risk and vulnerability involved when we pursue relationships. Risk and vulnerability have been my pathways to faith in God. I never realized until today how many people lack an adventurous relationship with the Lord. Many folks seem to place their faith in people pretty well but when it comes to God they are too often looking for a concept or a formula. If you stop and think about it, that really makes no sense at all. It's obvious by the way He has made us that He is a God that desires relationship.

I can only share from my own experience and I can honestly tell you that if you pursue Him with all your heart, mind and soul that you eventually find yourself in relationship with Him. He will reveal Himself and remove all doubt about His person. You will find yourself inside an adventure thriller and it will be nothing religious like you may have imagined. God isn't into religion, He's into you. Believing in Him is beyond me and you. Let's go back to my story about the two things that happened when my kids jumped into my arms at the swimming pool. God does the same thing when we leap into His arms. We go for it in faith and He doesn't disappoint. He supplies the energy burst. The adventure begins and a whole new world awaits us.

Now, if I could just have faith in the Steelers to get a win Sunday