On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your faith right now? Are you moving through your days seeing life as if through a “faith filter”—imagining God is near, Christ is your guide, and goals of justice, compassion and integrity are your motivations? Or is it a less frequent part of your inner thoughts and decision-making processes?
No one is likely a perfect 10 on this scale, except perhaps a Tibetan monk in constant prayer. Nor is a “perfect 10” truly our goal. God put you in the world to engage with the world, using your particular gifts and skills for goodness, reconciliation and peace. That means you will be daily occupied with a wide range of details that do not explicitly have a faith component to them. You will be driving around, buying groceries, talking with friends and strangers alike. You will be keeping up on the news, making plans for the future, and trying to stay healthy. None of those activities is formally religious. But all of these activities involve where God has placed you for “such a time as this” and where God hopes you will be, as best you can, a witness and example of faith.
In his book, My Bright Abyss, Christian Wiman wrote that “faith in God is, in the deepest sense, faith in life.” This life is the canvas upon which God has asked you to paint a picture. This life is the stage upon which God has placed us as actors playing roles each day. This community is the garden in which God gives us the grace and encouragement to be someone who plants seeds, pulls weeds, and works side by side with other people of faith. Our faith in God is part and parcel of our faith in life. Right here is where the good news of Christ becomes real—where the promise and healing mercies of the Holy Spirit become tangible.
If you’ve followed my train of thought so far, then here is a second insight. Since life is something that is always changing, faith too is also something that changes and adapts. At times it may be strong and vibrant; other times it may be quiet, distant, even disconnected. That is because we, the receptacle of faith, are always in motion—responding to new challenges, reacting to whatever crisis or adventure comes our way. You shouldn’t have the same faith at fifty as you had at fifteen. You are a different person; you’ve experienced a lot over the years. Hopefully your faith has been a flexible, adaptive companion for your particular life journey. Hopefully you recognize there are times when God seems near and when God seems far away—times when faith doesn’t offer much comfort in the moment, but later you recognized how something good arose from that season of difficulty.
There is no right or wrong answer to the personal inventory about “how strong is your faith today.” It is an answer for one moment in time—an answer that could change tomorrow or next week. Which is how it should be. So be willing to ask regularly “How is my faith shaping my life right now?” Through worship, study, prayer, and compassionate service, you can strengthen your score on this personal survey. More importantly, you will remember that in a changing world, God is with us always and loves us unconditionally. Start September on this path of stronger spiritual connection.
—Randy Bush