Faith is a distinctly human attribute. We have faith that after today there will be a tomorrow, that after winter there will be a spring. Our ability to experience faith gives us unparalleled opportunities to accomplish amazing things, both as individuals and as groups. However, faith becomes a crutch if it isn’t acted upon.
Faith can easily become an excuse instead of the reason for our actions. When we’re challenged, we must avoid the temptation to rely every time on faith alone. Doing so weakens our foundation and leaves us unprepared for the next challenge. Like the best vintage of wine, faith can improve with age, but if stored improperly or made of poor stock can leave one bitter.
For all its inherent strength, faith is equally fragile. Our faith in each other is very easily lost through a thoughtless word or deed. Our faith in ourselves can easily slip when we fall short of a goal. Our faith in big things—community, government, or religion—can blind us to possibilities because we’re often told that curiosity, or the questioning of faith, ultimately leaves us weaker.
When we lose the desire to ask questions because we fear for our faith, we’re truly lost. If what you believe, if what you’ve place your faith in, can’t withstand the challenge of questions, then what is your faith really about? At times, faith gives comfort, but faith can’t be your refuge from change. True faith, lasting faith, grows with time. Faith that sits, faith without action, only decays, leaving you empty handed.
For those who argue that faith is constant, I would challenge you that faith is constantly changing. We’re human, and in order to carry faith with us, it must adapt because we are no more the exact person today that we were yesterday or that we will be tomorrow. At times, faith’s fit may chafe as we struggle to align who we want to be with what we may be. If faith becomes too comfortable, we may resist the obligation to grow, to become a person of action versus reaction.
Every day you have a choice to act. The only question that remains is whether you have the faith to make that choice.
