tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7700416703444995678.post1202577793790845302..comments2023-10-31T12:26:55.911-04:00Comments on ~ fresh mintings ~: The Sweet Discomfort of HumilityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159737099688123008noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7700416703444995678.post-37478347139996001792011-07-14T21:15:47.557-04:002011-07-14T21:15:47.557-04:00Having grown up in an incredibly liberal family, I...Having grown up in an incredibly liberal family, I don't know what it would be like to come out of a really religious or rigid upbringing. I also don't know what it means to have a "thick faith" as you report surrounding you. That phrase in general--- "thick faith" ---strikes me as altogether oxymoronic. I know I'm not supposed to say that. . . .hymn lyrics are rushing to the forefront, contradicting what I wrote . . . ."On Christ the solid rock I stand. . . " and "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine."<br /><br />But frankly, faith so often feels very flimsy. I mean it's scary as shit to put all your eggs in one basket and it calls for a dependence, surrender and trust that I honestly believe only children are capable of possessing very easily. How can any faith, by nature, be so sure? So definite? How can it be so resolved and thick? (And I use the word faith here in a liberal sense---Christian faith, atheist faith, etc.) I take what you shared in your blog as your faith and it's just as valid as my Christian faith.<br /><br />I suspect you'll be okay with some Christian references. I relate to the disciples who were on the boat with Jesus and freaking out because of the storm. Jesus, meanwhile, was sleeping. He just calmed the storm with his words and rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. But my life, too often, is like theirs! I'm often wondering to God, "WTF are you doing? Are you even paying attention?" I'm scared and not certain. I can't think that the hemorrhaging woman wasn't just a little scared that it wasn't gonna work when she grabbed Christ's cloak. Or the blind man. . . was he so sure he'd regain his sight? And I'm sure Jacob got a little tired of hanging on to the angel, waiting to be blessed. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't so much about them having a thick faith as it was that they weren't sure what else to do and they were desperate enough to go for it.<br /><br />Faith by definition, lacks some degree of certainty. It has to involve a desperate going for it, a holy hunch, if you will. We can't know for sure. We can't see it. Bill Warrick of Williamsburg Community Chapel used to always say the opposite of faith isn't doubt, but sight. Faith involves not seeing. <br /><br />In consequence, of course it's frustrating when we encounter people who make faith out to be so clear. This sometimes leads to people putting down others' faith (which can range from silly comments, to absolute judgment, to holy wars). It also sometimes leads to people who seem to give themselves cart blanche to do what they want in the name of God. You've mentioned before that you've been frustrated by people who say things like "God told me. . ." "The LORD is leading me. . . " etc I share your skepticism of this kind of talk---- and frankly I think God does too! (In Jeremiah, He calls it a perversion to claim God tells you something when He doesn't.) Maybe it's just human nature, maybe it's because we live in a world where Christianity is just one of many belief paradigms, but we want to be sure. We want to know without a doubt. We want to be right. We want to be confident in what we believe, are experiencing, and are doing. <br /><br />I've come to believe that some people just don't have enough faith to let there be some wiggle room and some darkness. And I try hard not to judge them for that. <br />We all have to try to accept that faith (again, whether in Christ or whether decidedly not in Christ) has to involve not-seeing. (Buechner calls it "whistling in the dark"). Faith has to involve not fully knowing, not being so sure. And if we all could just surrender to that not knowing (whether we're Christian, atheist, agnostic, Jewish, Muslim, etc), I think we'd be a lot nicer to each other. We'd also be a lot less arrogant, judgmental, and smug.<br /><br />I love you.kchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309928471123957256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7700416703444995678.post-46037141733504667112011-07-12T16:32:01.155-04:002011-07-12T16:32:01.155-04:00Clearly I have a problem in this area. I have a w...Clearly I have a problem in this area. I have a whole list of things that bother me that I left out of the post...<br /><br />I started sounding like Peter Griffin..."Another thing that grinds my gears is when I can't find the droids I'm looking for."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05159737099688123008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7700416703444995678.post-86457900224010086232011-07-12T16:27:26.812-04:002011-07-12T16:27:26.812-04:00Apology accepted! I think your honesty is a beauti...Apology accepted! I think your honesty is a beautiful and rare thing, and that we need more of it in the world. Everyone has their areas of passing judgment. I try extra hard not to do it with religion, due to Christianity's rep, but then I turn around and am blatantly critical of vegetarians. (You're not a vegetarian, are you?) Brandi is probably laughing, if she reads this. I mean, I try to respect that it's a lifestyle and belief-based choice, and I cook that way for guests, if need be... but I continue to believe it is a truly poor health choice for the long haul. <br /><br />Okay, didn't mean to open a can of worms with that one... just wanted to confess that I can identify with the desire to pass judgment.Sarah Parkhttp://agoodmeasure.netnoreply@blogger.com