You Gotta Have Faith

Faith is not always easy. To have belief in or to trust an omnipotent omnipresent Being sometimes looks like it is absurd. Why in the world would someone trust Someone or Something that they can’t see?

For me, it’s easier to trust what I can’t see than what I can. What I can see is hurt, pain, and destruction. I also see great beauty, especially in nature, like flowers, stars, sunrises, sunsets, and beaches.  

Think about it, did people create sunrises and sunsets? Did people make flowers? Yes, people can synthesize existing flowers into hybrids.  But, where did the raw material originate?

It’s an even greater leap of faith for me to believe that the world, with all of its genetic material just happened to exist.  Someone had to do something to start grass growing. It’s easier for me to believe that there’s a Creator. 

If there’s a Creator that created everything, it’s not a big stretch of the imagination to believe that this Creator cares for the creation.  If I write something or paint a picture, I care about my work. I don’t want to see it ruined or destroyed.  

When people experience pain, hardship, sadness, trauma, and wanton destruction or violence, the question that’s always asked is, “Where was God when this happened?”  I believe that He witnessed the destruction of His creation and cried bigger tears than Iron Eyes Cody did in the conservation television commercials of the seventies and eighties.

The next question asked is usually, “Why didn’t He stop it?” I  don’t have an answer to this question. But, what I do know is that the pain is not wasted. 

One of the names of God is “The God who Wastes Nothing.” The pain, if turned outward can help another person experiencing a similar situation. If the pain is turned inward and kept to oneself, negative feelings and emotions take control.  The self-preservation part of the brain ignites. Then, anything to numb the pain seems rational. But, the numbness doesn’t last. Instead, an ever-increasing amount of substance is needed, but the circumstances don’t change. 

When I experience pain, I desperately want Someone who loves me unconditionally to comfort me. I want Someone to show me how I can use my pain to help others. In short, faith becomes essential. I choose to believe because I need to believe.