Question Your Faith

If I were to ask you what you believed deep down about faith and spirituality what would it be? What about your faith makes sense and what does not make sense? 

I am sure that you, like me, at first will go through the proforma Biblical answers that are ingrained in our heads, but the answers I am seeking are the one's that wonder in silence about. Over the last several months I have had so many people asked me if I believe some of the stories in the Bible. Now these people are asking from the safety of an email because we are taught never to openly question the Bible, right? 

I am not here to prove or disprove the Bible that is not my intent. What I am here to do is to prove that our spirituality has more depth and meaning than we have been given permission to explore. I believe in a God of love, which is the one that created us, would not leave his love to chance. I believe we are all endowed with the seeds of love given to us by our heavenly Father. I also believe that same love can grow cold as ice when the development is left to a church for formation. We are creatures of love until we are taught to hate. Hate comes to us in the most routine ways. We hear it from friends, we hear from preachers, politicians, family members, all in the name of Christ. As we listen to this the love God endowed us with becomes a cynical mindset of subtle bigotry. 

Before you disagree with me just give it thought. You, like me hear people spout off scriptures, you also hear people say "they just need a good dose of Jesus" all the while unbeknownst to them they are spreading spiritual doubt which desensitizes our faith. Expressions and acts of love are so much more powerful than words. 

I know that most people have a deep desire to love God. That desire becomes increasingly difficult when we are taught to love in ways that make no sense. Love is a feeling it is not an educational process. Christ in his earthly mission did not send out his apostles to teach people the Bible because it did not exist. They were sent out to teach people how to love, forgive, accept, share, and offer peace. That model worked then and it can work now. Peace, love, acceptance, and forgiveness are the keys to faith and spiritual formation. 

In closing I would like to encourage everyone to question your faith to the core, seek out the love that is truly inside your heart and soul. If something does not make sense do not force yourself to conform and believe. God did not establish his love so that it took a degree to understand it. Love is what love is and once felt and understood it can be shown to others by our genuine acts of kindness. 

Remember if you allow your love to shine through you will exude kindness in everything you do. There is never a wrong way to perform acts of kindness and when you do God is working through you.

peace and love

Dale