Sunday, November 11, 2007

What would Jesus say...

Glenn prompted the idea for this post. =================== Your eyes betray you. I can see the weight hidden behind them. This is the one common weakness all people share. A man can’t see his own face. Sure, you can look in a mirror and see the wrinkles or gray hair, but even that is a mere reflection. Only another person can peer into your countenance and see the real thing. Remember that I am among those who know. You have taken on quite a challenge, embarking on this quest for the unknown, unseen future you have in mind so clearly. There are many questions I see behind your eyes, but only one that really stands out that I’d like to address. It’s that one question that overarches everything. It’s the one thing that is tied to the weight that lies within. And rest assured that you are not the only one asking that question. Over the course of history, there are more men and women than you can count who have been in the exact same place as you. At your questions lies the essence of what I am all about. It involves the one thing that I am looking for in people like yourself. Will you make it? Will you get to your destination, or will someone else inherit what you have worked so hard to build? Or even worse, will all your effort dissolve into nothing? Never forget, son, that without this question you could not exhibit faith. I know many who led you over the years left you with a sense that they had no doubts and were 100% sure about everything, including what they knew to be true about Me, but trust Me, they don’t have it all right either. What most people seem to forget about faith is that it is not about the things seen. Never has and never will. And faith is what I am looking for when I return. It can’t be faith if there were guarantees like you want them. If you made a decision to trust me just because some guy told you his story of how he stepped out in faith and all his debts got paid and how all his problems got solved, you’re no longer choosing to walk by faith. You only want what he got. You want a short sighted solution, not a life of faith. Don’t get me wrong, I can still be trusted, but to do so requires that there always be a sense of doubt. Doubt is the handmaiden of faith. You will always see the two together, sort of like the way you see Fear lurking around Courage. If you see one but not the other, you can be assured that the other is just around the corner. Watchman, rest in this thought today as you enjoy your Sabbath. I know what you want from me and I’m not going to give it to you. But you’ve already given me what I’ve asked. You want certainty. I want faith. Let that sink in while you get another cup of coffee. Sounds like the newpaper has arrived.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kevin - The scripture reading yesterday was from Hebrews, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I've always liked that. Your blog is timely for me....

Jim L said...

Wow - really. That was something. I have linked to it from the original blog post, here: http://lordibelievehelpmyunbelief.blogspot.com/2007/11/wwjs-to-me.html

glenn said...

Kevin~ Right on!

Barb said...

Is this an original statement?

Doubt is the handmaiden of faith.

Best I have read for a while.
Thanks

Watchman said...

barb,

its original to me, at least.

What's the use of faith if there is nothing pulling against it?

ks

Barb said...

Yes but a handmaiden is not an antagonist. Yet Faith needs one to be faith therefore doubt becomes a help to your faith and thus jin a strange sort of way, a handmaiden. Just gave me a lot to think about because ususally I beat myself up for my doubts and do not view them in a positive light at all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for being led to write this. I really needed to hear this...