I love the image of this bridge because it is a great analogy for so many circumstances in our lives.
In every significant transition in my life - going to college, getting married or moving to Texas - there was a certain amount of uncertainly about what life would be like on the other side of the bridge. There were no guarantees. Nothing in life is really guaranteed anyway even if we want it to be. I had to be wise and do my part to make the best decision, but then I simply had to walk to the other side.
So much about our walk with God is like that. The famous verse about faith, Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Sounds like a bridge crossing to me. How about you?
Sometimes we so demystify the idea of faith that we try to make it like a mathematical formula when it is anything but that. Faith is simple trust, trust in the person or object you are placing your faith in.
When it comes to faith in God Tim Keller has a wonderful analogy I like to share:
Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you as you fall is a branch sticking out of the very edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and it is more than strong enough to support your weight. How can it save you? If your mind is filled with intellectual certainty that the branch can support you, but you don’t actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If your mind is filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why? It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you (The Reason for God, 244-245).Where are you hesitating to walk across the bridge? What is holding you back? Is your view of God simply to small? Do your steps need to get bigger or do your eyes simply need to see clearer?
Great stuff, Jim. I remember having a conversation with a college student years ago. They were afraid they hadn't believed "strong enough." Leave it to our flesh to twist faith into a work! My response: the question is not whether you have believed "enough," but only whether you have believed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stating simply that faith is simple trust, and thanks to Tim Keller for his assertion that it is the object of your faith that saves you. Stating common beliefs succinctly helps pave the way to understanding in your head and heart.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy of faith you stated too. But for me I like to think of God's hand there reaching down waiting for us to grab it and hang on. It is important for us to do our part and reach out to him too. He is always faithful to "catch" me. Thank you for the picture of faith. It helps me reaffirm my faith in Him.
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