The Audacity of Faith

Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly blessed." – John 20:29 (NCV)

What do you believe? What is it like to believe in a God you cannot see? Do you wish you could see some proof? What proof would be good enough? How would that change your belief?

This comes from the book, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool..
For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.
“Whoa!” several students yell. Some clap. Morrie finally smiles. “You see”, he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes, that was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling”.

Belief and trust go hand in hand. Abraham took God on a promise, and trusted that promise even when all evidence pointed to the contrary. It is true that sometimes faith seems utterly ridiculous, especially when we are looking for something to give us some certainty in the face of uncertain times. Yet all we have is a promise. When life feels like we are falling it is still best to close our eyes and trust in the Promise Maker. Should we do such audacious and ludicrous thing, somehow we will be truly blessed.

With hope and joy,
Garrett