Sometimes it’s hard to have faith. It is the definition of “easier said than done.” We cannot physically see it. It cannot be confined to a singular human feeling. Not even one path is correct for all those of faith. At Messiah, we profess that each one of us is called to differing paths; not one is better than the other, as long as God’s kingdom is the ultimate motivation.
Faith remains an integral part of our everyday lives. As Christians, we are expected to place our trust in God. This type of faith is the hardest to live out. How can we rely on God when there are so many moving parts in the equation of life?
Humans are physical creatures. We see and feel, and we make up for what we cannot hold by holding fast to that which we can. The evil in the world, the good, the anxiety and apprehension about the future are often closer to our hearts than our faith because we have experienced them firsthand. But humans are also spiritual. We have a soul that needs nourishment from the well it flowed from.
There is so much that we do not know surrounding faith. We know and feel the physical world, but it is not enough to gratify our spiritual selves. The question becomes, how do we reconcile what we do not know with what we do know, especially in a state of crisis?
Just as humans are a blend of physical and spiritual, we need to blend the unknown and the known. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
Right now, when we see the state of our public health endangered, many push God away, relying only on what they see happening in the world. In their opinion, the progresses of the physical world are the only salvation from this crisis. Others put their trust totally in Him, to the point where they chose to ignore the state of the world as it is.
Again, balance is needed. Christians are called to “cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7) and also to “not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27).
Because humans are physical beings, it is natural to have anxieties and stress when in the midst of a global crisis. However, this does not mean that we do not or cannot trust in God. We need to set our sights on God, offering up all of our stress to him and having faith in His mercy.
At the same time, we need to act. Having faith does not discredit what we see in the world. As a member of the human community, it is our duty to protect both the spiritual and physical well-being of its members.
That is why it is so important to blend spiritual and physical during these times. The world is hurting, and we need to work together to heal it body and soul. Right now, that means both wearing a mask and wearing our faith, and protecting and praying for those around us.