Faith and Distractions
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:7
FAITH AND DISTRACTIONS
Our faith is something that must be nurtured and sought after. The world reaches out to us and pulls away through life’s temptations, setbacks, and imagined responsibilities. At times the world will convince us that God isn’t with us, that he’s just some imaginary human construct. We will begin to blame others for our problems and to seek easier paths. But it is at exactly this spot that we should turn from our human instincts and dig deeper into our faith.
The recognition of the sovereign nature of God ebbs when we pay too much attention to the ways of the world and give in to despair. Faith must be practiced and nurtured despite our present condition, not because of it. There are few roads that are easy with faith. Jesus explains this, with a call to stay steady with our faith, when he says, “For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life and there are few who find it.” (Matthew [7:14])
In life, it’s the little things that make a difference. Our faith lives are similar. For instance, many of us in business do what we think we should do or are asked to do, and then for some reason it doesn’t work out as well as we hoped. Inevitably it takes longer and there are a few more things to do than we’d expected. It is in this spot where we must decide between quality and quantity. Do we finish our task because time is telling us to move on, or do we dig deeper to resolve those nagging feelings? This spot reminds me of a quote I used many times in my career, “The enemy of art is time.” Likewise, our faith life can become the victim of the suffocating drumbeat of time. It is here that we must decide if we are to move on or stop worrying so much about obstacles like time. Great art and our faith both require quality not quantity. How often do we say “I can’t do any more” or “I don’t have the time to nurture my faith” and move on? It is this internal decision that separates great faith from faith that is just an afterthought.
Our faith is in investment of ourselves in combination with God. God is not a genie that solves our problems alone. Our God is a loving God whom desires a relationship with us. Like any relationship it requires mutual acts of support. There are times when we need more from God than we can give, and God responds. Other times God only needs to stand by and watch us succeed. This continuum of faith varies from moment to moment.
Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman
