The Difference Between Belief and Faith
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful man-made structures in the world.
The bridge guards the entrance to San Francisco Bay, with rough, shark-infested waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the safety of the bay and the busyness of downtown San Francisco to the east. When the fog rolls in, the deep red earth tones of the bridge seem to seep through the mist and melt it away.
But sometimes the fog is too thick and the bridge is obscured, hidden to those who desire to view its beauty.
photo by Nathan Jones (creative commons)
Countless tourists have been frustrated by the fog, and they never get to see the bridge. It is one thing to believe that the bridge is beautiful without ever seeing it. It is another to view the beauty yourself.
And for most of us, to use an old cliche, seeing is believing.
But Do You Ever Believe Without Seeing?
Belief is about acting on a certainty. Something you can see. Something you can hear. Something you can prove. Something you know to be true without a hint of doubt.
It is crossing a bridge when you can see all the way across to the other side, and when the destination is desirable.
When safety is certain, when the reward is desirable, when you have removed all risk from the equation, who can blame you for getting started?
Most of us, and understandably so, live lives of belief. When we begin with certainty, we are willing to endure something difficult because of the guarantee we begin with.
Acting in Faith is Different than Acting in Belief.
The opposite of faith isn’t unbelief, but rather expecting certainty before you take a step.
Faith is about embracing uncertainty. It is acting even when we don’t know the outcome.
It is choosing to cross a bridge that nobody else has ever crossed and without knowing exactly what is on the other side.
I’m not suggesting that you proceed without caution or that you don’t perform a risk benefit evaluation. Acting on faith isn’t for everyone and it isn’t something we necessarily need to do all of the time.
But the only way we will live a truly incredible story, is if at some point we act in faith. When we do the work even when we don’t know what will become of it.
The Ability to Act in Faith Lies in What You Hope For.
If you your hope is in the outcome, then maybe it isn’t worth it to risk too much.
But if your hope is in the process, the changes that comes as you struggle towards something better, or if your work is important, such as loving those who are unloved, then maybe the outcome and certainty don’t matter as much.
Have you ever acted in faith? When you choose your story, what do you hope for?
You can leave a comment by clicking here.
