A Faith that Embraces Uncertainty
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His (Abraham’s) faith wasn’t measured by what he did when life was predictable and good. It wasn’t measured by how he acted when he was safe at home or attending synagogue. It wasn’t measured by what he did when life was comfortable.
He is called a man of faith because he did what God asked even when it wasn’t easy. Even when it was scary. Even when it seemed impossible. Even when it made no practice sense.
photo by Herr Olsen
God has never spoken to me directly like he did Abraham.
But he speaks to all of us in different ways.
- When we see someone in need, he speaks to us.
- When we hear stories of atrocity and suffering, he speaks to us.
- When we know there are people in other countries who don’t have clean water, he speaks to us.
- When we see the widow down the street struggling to clean out her gutters, he speaks to us.
- Whenever we see a dirty, hungry homeless person, he speaks to us.
- When we are told that there are 147 million orphans in the world, he speaks to us.
Why don’t we do this work? Because this kind of faith creates uncertainty in our lives.
It is easier to sit in church. It is easier to emphasize rules that show how well we are doing. It is easier to point our finger at those who don’t live up to our rules. It is easier to stay at home and keep our families safe and hold on to all of our stuff that creates a sense of predictability.
And we call that a life of faith.
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