8:17 p.m. - Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005
The Mystery of Faith.
A man cannot be greater than his religion.
If my religion --my "God" -- does not challenge me, provoke me, break me and rebuild me, it is not worth believing in.
I cannot be in control. My God must challenge me. He must confuse me. If I cannot be confused by God, then I can never understand him. This is not to say that my religion must be confusing, but that there must be an element of mystery, and there must be a submission to that mystery. For my beliefs to be true and life-changing, I must come to a place where I can say, "I do not understand this, but I submit to the One with greater understanding than I."
My God must provoke me. I cannot have a belief system that does not seek to make me more than what I am. If I am not provoked, I will journey only to safe places (if I journey at all). If I never journey into the darker parts of myself, I will never confront those hideous parts of myself that need to be defeated. My God must provoke me to kill those demons, not just place a blanket over them.
My God can comfort me, but he first must break me. If I am not first broken, then of what value is my comfort? My comfort can only go as deep as my pain allows. If I desire only alleviation from the things that cause me stress, then I do not truly desire God. I desire a warm blanket.
Amidst the challenges and confusion, the provoking and the breaking, there must be a rebuilding. I must be continually rebuilt into my Truest Person -- the person God designed me to be. The person that looks like Christ. The Christ that dwells within me; the Mystery of my faith; my Hope of glory.
