My Way or the High Way - A Question of Faith

(This article in a deep-dive conversation format, courtesy of Notebooklm follows)

If you were asked whether you want to strengthen your faith in the presence of God (Truth, etc.), I imagine you would respond, "Yes, of course!" Faith in God is the pinnacle of the spiritual life. The reasoning is straightforward: the more faith I have, the happier I will be, regardless of my circumstances. Isn't that true?

While we might universally agree on the importance of having a strong faith in the Divine, we may not all agree on how to achieve that in our lives. In fact, on a personal level, we might have significant differences in what we believe will strengthen our faith.

For some people, faith in a higher power is strictly evidence-based; it relies on outcomes that are considered favorable or blessings. In this context, when life aligns with my preferences, I feel blessed and experience gratitude and devotion toward the higher power I believe “brought” this good fortune to me.

However, such faith carries an implied, if not explicit, assumption: it presumes that my assessment of what life should be like for me is absolutely valid. This presumption, we must acknowledge, is based on a narrow perspective formed solely from the viewpoint of an individual life, which is limited by personal experience and understanding. When my faith is built on this foundation, it can be wonderfully satisfying if life aligns with my preferences.

However, if life becomes challenging, harsh, or disappointing, the foundation of such faith, being vulnerable to favorable conditions, can easily crumble. This can leave me feeling devoid of any assurance of a benevolent power in my life. Who among us hasn't experienced a crisis of faith, crying out in overwhelming adversity, "God, where are you? Why have you forsaken me?"

In those moments when we equate “good fortune” with the presence of God, we risk creating a faith that Jesus might have described as “building one’s house upon sand.” In this reductionist perspective, we insist on the need for tangible evidence to confirm the existence of the Infinite. While we can empathize with this viewpoint, can we also recognize its flawed assumptions? Are we qualified to stand in judgement of reality’s play and impose our own standards of what should be? Is our understanding broad enough to justify our conclusions of “good” and “bad,” “fortune” or “misfortune”? In so doing, aren’t we, in effect, creating God “in our own image and likeness”?

The most inspiring stories of faith that lift and stir us are rooted in nearly opposite perspectives. Rather than imposing our expectations upon life, there is a level of profound acceptance in the face of life showing up as it does, with the vision of some greater good yet unseen. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, facing hunger, hardship, and doubt before they reached the Promised Land.  Their faith was not diminished but ultimately strengthened by adversity, as they went from a wandering tribe to a nation with a covenant to rely on the provision of God, moment to moment.

Apple cofounder, Steve Jobs, was fired from his own company in the mid 80’s. This personal and professional setback later evolved as he explored new technology, learned new skills that he then brought with him when he was subsequently rehired by Apple. What he learned while in his own “wilderness” experience led to Apple become a technological giant.

There are countless stories where embracing adversity, rather than resisting it, leads to transformation. Job’s lament eventually evolved into a quiet acceptance, allowing him to gain a cosmic perspective in which everything is seen as an essential part of an evolving universe.

During one of the darkest times in my life, when I felt painfully confused by the direction my life had taken, I found inspiration in a tiny fern growing out of a crack in a granite slab. If the fern had the ability to choose its destiny, I'm sure it would have preferred to be nestled in the lush, fertile floor of the forest below. However, without that choice, it responded according to its inherent nature, which is to grow. And grow it did. This perfectly formed fern was a stark reminder that where we find ourselves in life may be precisely where we are meant to be, to cultivate growth and evolution, trusting in the life force within us that only wills good for us.

If you’ve read this far, I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you’ve scrolled to the bottom, here’s a summation in a single sentence that encapsulates a lifetime of wisdom: 

A setback is just a setup for a comeback!

Namaste,

Rev. Larry

A Deep-dive conversation of this article created by NotebookLM