Summer in Muskoka
The past several weeks I have moved from my suburban home in New Zealand to a cabin in the woods of Muskoka, Canada.
I’ve been on a mission here, sharing God’s word with young boys - and I’ve learned a lot.
From the looking glass as a man who came to faith at 18, a recurring mention in my conversations with these 12 and 13-year-old boys is how proud and excited I am of where they’re at in their lives.
Purpose in the conversations
Undoubtedly, God has placed me here to meet these boys and He has a purpose for the conversations that come with it. Often in these conversations, I talk about faith and what faith looks like. My approach to this is to emphasise and reiterate 3 key points:
1. Your faith is yours
2. It’s okay to not understand God (or the Bible)
3. Questions are okay, healthy & necessary
Your faith is yours
Firstly, their faith is their faith. And your faith is yours. It’s no one else’s. It isn’t your parents’ your pastor’s, your sibling’s or your partner’s. It’s yours.
From being in the church at a young age, it can be easy to associate our faith and Christian values with those we see around us. We are impressionable humans by nature, so being regularly exposed to our parents praying before a meal or our pastor giving a heart-tickling sermon - there is sometimes the risk that it becomes (too) familiar for us - particularly early in life.
A reminder for all
Now, like I said, I came to faith at 18 - so, none of this was my reality. This is just how I can imagine and have seen it be for others around me - especially where I am now. Therefore, it’s important to remind these boys (and you reading now) that our faith is our own faith.
And of course, we are and always will be at different stages of our faith, no matter our age, upbringing, or experience. This can’t be measured or compared with others.
Faith is immeasurable
In fact, to compare our faiths with others will only ever do bad than it would do good.
Understanding this is a huge first step when coming to faith. It reduces comparison and opportunities for it (and us) to feel inadequate. Yet, first and foremost, in order for us to even do this means we have an existing idea of what faith is and how it can be measured. Or rather, that it can be measured.
The truth is, this isn’t true.
Faith is in relationship
Our faith is simply found and developed in our relationship with Jesus. And this relationship can’t be measured in the way we tend to measure the typical relationships we already have, such as by anniversaries, memories or favours. Our relationship with God can only be measured by and counted by one thing: that we choose to be in one with Him.
This leads on well to my second point: it is okay to not understand how this looks. This is okay because we aren’t actually capable of understanding God to begin with. For, by the words of Everlyn Underhill: “If God was small enough for our minds, he wouldn’t be big enough for our needs.”
God is God
God is simple, yet intrinsically and beautifully complex. But not trivial, although that may be how it often seems.
We are not created to know everything. Not about the world, life, or (and most beautifully) about God. He didn’t (nor ever would), by His design and purpose, enable us the ability to fully understand who He is. Once we accept this reality, we can do two things:
1. We can stop fighting the need to have the answers
2. We open ourselves to explore more
Keep exploring
Asking questions grow us so long as we don’t approach this process with the pre-existing expectation that we must have an answer, and even more so, a set idea of what that answer should be. We need to drop the idea that we have the answers so we can pick up the desire to seek more.
We must ask questions in a way that seeks truth and further understanding, whilst being open learn new things along the way - however that looks. That’s faith.
What is your faith?
Faith is accepting that our faith is ours and not based on anyone else’s emotion provoking routines and rhythms we no longer question. Faith is accepting we not only don’t know everything but physically, emotionally and spiritually cannot and will not ever know everything or fully understand or comprehend God. Faith is seeking, receiving what we get, and choosing to continue forwards in exploration.
That’s faith. What’s yours?
Harrison is a twenty-one year old student who completed his Bachelor of Communications in 2019 and is now working in marketing. He was raised in a non-Christian family but has been part of the Church since the beginning of 2018. He has a passionate personality which is illustrated in many facets of his life from writing, to sports, food, friends, family and God. Harrison enjoys exploring and grasping different parts of life and discussing them with others. Chat with Harrison further at: harrisonbellve@gmail.com