Faith - Seriously?

Faith – Seriously???

            I’ve actually heard this question quite a bit through my life:

Faith – Seriously? You believe in God? Come on! It’s all just fairy tales…!

(at least that’s a little summary of the ‘gist’ of some of the comments I’ve fielded…)

But to answer that question, I don’t have to even hesitate. The answer is a resounding YES! YES, I have faith – seriously! In fact, I have serious faith! I DO believe in God, and let me tell you when you feel His presence personally, you know it ain’t no fairy tale!

It’s kind of interesting to think back and to ponder why it is that I feel the way I do. My earliest recollections of going to church are sort of funny. I must have been 5 or 6 when the old church my family attended, began a remodeling project. I remember being scared to death of the wooden planks and holes we were supposed to walk over. And then, as a kid, I can remember being really upset when Christmas Eve day was on a Sunday, and not only did we “hafta” go to church in the morning, but we ‘hadta’ go at night too! Geez! Are ya kidding me???

But as I grew, my own life also became integrated into the life of the church. I no longer found it dull at all. I made friends, attended Sunday School during the fall and winter, Vacation Bible School during the summer. “Lutheran Girl Pioneers” was to us as Girl Scouts were to others – we went on field trips, campouts, learned knot tying and babysitting skills.  

Even when I was a kid, God seemed very real to me, and somehow all of the Bible stories made perfect sense to me (no fairy leanings whatsoever). If my classmates and I had questions, our teachers seemed ready to answer and discuss. To my way of thinking, of course Joseph’s father gave him a coat of many colors and (out of jealousy) his brothers threw him in a pit and he was rescued and became a ruler in Egypt! Of course Moses (by raising a stick) parted the Red Sea with God’s guiding, and saved the Children of Israel from the Pharaoh. Of course they threw Daniel into a den of lions and he came out unscathed. Of course a baby was born to a virgin and that child grew up to be the greatest teacher, healer and prophet the world would ever know – and YES, he died for our sins - and rose again – which we will too if we believe it. Of course that all happened (and will continue to happen)!

As I moved into Confirmation instruction (which I share about in my Lenten Devotional Blog Entry) all of the Bible’s teachings took on deeper meaning. More was expected from us in our learning, and consequently, my faith deepened. I didn’t fight any of it. For some reason I connected with it. Sure, I asked a thousand questions, but instead of that being a deterrent, I sought, believed the answers, and really connected.

And as I grew up, church friendships deepened as well. Some of the best friends I ever had were connected to that little church. We were just kids – not perfect by any means – but being part of that youth group, preparing and serving (did I mention the clean-up?) the Easter breakfasts, singing in the choir, Christmas caroling, bowling, sledding, the camping experiences – every bit of it served to somehow deepen my faith in God.

When I met and became engaged to my husband, Todd, I needed to be sure that he’d be on board with a Christian lifestyle – it was a deal breaker. I could never have imagined my life without God in it. He’d been raised Catholic, but hadn’t been attending anything because he worked a lot of Sundays. But he assured me that he’d do whatever made me happy J (He still does, by the way…)

As our adult life took hold, and life wasn’t just “which restaurant should we go to tonight?” all of those early church experiences served to create my roots – a place to travel back to in my mind. When my son was born missing part of his left arm, and my pastor suggested that God may have a “plan for a greater good,” I could reflect back on all of those early Biblical examples and know that surely if God worked in people’s lives 10,000 years ago, He certainly continues to work in them now. Believe me when I say that I took my pastor’s thought and clung to it.

I feel I have a personal relationship with my almighty Creator. He knew me before I was born. We chat! I praise Him, of course (because He’s AWEsome), but I also question Him – all the time – and then I listen and watch for His answers in my life. And through the years I have experienced such direct answers to some of my prayers that it literally gives me chills. They come from crazy places sometimes too: An unexpected phone call that provides the exact answer I was seeking; a song comes on the radio that speaks to the exact issue that’s on my mind; a friend gives a gift that fits a situation perfectly; right person, right place right time – I could go on and on.

Today is Good Friday, Sunday is Easter. Suffice to say I 100% believe everything about it. I’ve lived through what I’ve lived through, I’ve seen and heard what I’ve seen and heard. No one can take away the outcomes (and ongoing yet-to-be-seen outcomes) I’ve experienced. I give the credit where credit is due!

So… YES faith, YES seriously… NO fairy tales, NO coincidences…

Sure, I was raised to go to church. I was raised to love God. Some people don’t have that experience - everyone’s at a different place in life. But that’s kind of great because we can all share our combined experiences and learn from each other. But my hope is that for those who negatively question, well, could you at least think about it…?  

 …because then He says, “…be still and know that I am God…”

Have a Blessed Easter!