Upon Faith - A Personal Essay
Posted by Ellen M. DuBois on Tuesday March 13, @09:22AM
If I knew all the answers, there'd be no need for Faith. Being a spiritual person by nature and constantly exploring the principles of active faith, I find myself often engaged in conversation that somehow relates to faith.
Maybe it's God's way of teaching me; for in trying to answer questions that are difficult, I am expanding my consciousness. In the mere act of thinking of an answer I am growing as a person.
However, I am often asked questions that I don't have the answers to. If I knew it all, there'd be no need for faith. If I knew it all, I wouldn't be here, on this earth and I wouldn't be human.
The carnal mind is one of question and reason. Often it isn't one of pure faith. God gave us brains. When something isn't right or hurts a lot, we question it. Why wouldn't we?
"Why are people allowed to suffer? God could change that in a second if He wanted to?"
Well, I don't think God's a magician here to prove himself by snapping his fingers and making everything better. But, I do believe that if you really believe with all of your being that God will take care of things, He will. In His way, not Yours. The two may not meet; but to me it's His Plan, not Mine.
Often times it's so difficult to even live that way. At least for me it is.
So, when I am asked questions like the ones above, what do I say? I'm not God. I have part of God in me like we all do, (my belief), but I'm not God. I can guess. I can answer that question with a question. I can ask, "Didn't Christ suffer? Wasn't he hung on a cross and didn't HE question God?" I ask, "Do you think that life here on the earthly plane is supposed to be suffer-free all the time? If it were, would we even know the difference between Heaven and Earth?"
However, I do believe that when I practice active faith, believing that I am receiving as I am asking, my life runs smoother. It's as if God has said, "Just ask and believe and I'll give what you want. I want you to be happy, but live by My Plan and not your own."
That's my take. I'm not trying to force that down anyone's throat. We all have our own beliefs and that's what makes the world go 'round.
I don't know. I know that to base my life on Faith and not Fear makes my life better. But I can't speak for you and don't have all the answers. I have guesses. I have feelings. I have instincts. But, I don't know it all.
"Why did God allow that baby to die? Is that what God's all about?"
I don't know. Why are you asking ME this? Maybe you should ask God? Maybe we're not supposed to know all the answers? My guess? That baby's soul was only meant to be here for a short time to teach somebody something. Oh, and painful the lesson was. I'm not just talking through my hat here. I've discussed this very thing with my own mother who lost her son while she was seven months pregnant with me. What I said didn't hurt her--but that's because we are on the same wave length. But, I am sure someone who has experienced the loss of child could look at me if I said that and want to smack me in the face. I wouldn't blame them. I'm not trying to minimize their pain. It's just my guess, when asked why God lets these terrible things befall us. And don't think I don't know pain. We all do. Don't think I didn't question God when at four months pregnant I lost my baby.
Faith got me through it.
It's God's plan, not mine. I can't tell you exactly Why things happen -- especially the painful ones. And I certainly don't dismiss pain by standing on some invisible pulpit I've created for myself from which I preach to others. I don't do that.
But, when I'm asked a question that's related to faith I have to try to come up with answer or simply say, "I don't know."
Like I said, if I knew all the answers, there'd be no need for faith.
What stayed with you?
A line that lingered, a feeling, a disagreement. Great comments are as valuable as the original piece.