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A spiritual leader's daily ritual of questioning his beliefs profoundly impacted the author, leading to a decades-long quest to understand the true meaning of faith. The author concludes that faith is not mere belief, but rather an active pursuit in the absence of proof, contrasting it with complacency that can arise from dormant beliefs.
The man looked me in the eyes and said, 'Every morning when I wake up, I look in the mirror and tell myself that everything I believe is not true.' This statement shook me, especially coming from a spiritual leader. This man was a giant in my young eyes. He even looked like the Moses I imagined. He was tall and powerful, and his voice could shake the ground; when he spoke, even the rowdiest crowds fell silent. So for him to say this to me left me perplexed, to say the least. What did he mean by this?
That question haunted me for decades, and I have finally come to understand the meaning behind his morning ritual. Belief is the first ingredient to quiescence. When you believe, you have no compelling reason to do anything about it. I met a young man once who said, 'I believe in God; I am Catholic.' I think he had said this many times as a dismissive gesture. It allowed him a free pass out of a difficult conversation, so he repeated it frequently. As if to say, 'Oh, do not worry about me; I am good.' I then asked him a string of questions.
In this young man's situation, his belief was an excuse to do nothing. A get-out-of-anything-religious-free card. As the conversation shows, it's possible to claim a belief system and have absolutely no faith. So what does it mean then, to have faith?
This is lost on many people. Like me when I was young, you look up to other people in admiration of their great faith and intense spirituality, and you imagine some great event they experienced, as Paul did on his way to Damascus. Faith, at its core, is an action that you take in the absence of proof. You have a faint hope that something is true, but have no direct or tangible evidence. Yet you proceed anyway. You take action; you do something, and in so doing, hope that what you are applying your faith toward will come true.
The great fallacy in spiritual life is to believe that those who have this quality have received some divine or direct manifestation. That may happen now and then, but the reality is that the most spiritual people I have met in my life are that way because they have spent a lifetime taking action toward something they have no direct evidence that is true. People can spend their entire lives looking for some great manifestation when the one thing required the whole time was their willingness to act in the face of doubt.
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters about these devils who were corresponding regarding one of their subjects. Screwtape was really happy when Christianity became Christianity. Meaning that the ideology would replace faith. You would never want to give a human a reason to have faith, rather placate them and lull them into an absobed life where faith would never be necessary. Regardless of your religious persuasion, this is an absolute truth: belief alone becomes an excuse for complacency.
So the man who was Moses in my young mind had taught me a powerful lesson. The worst thing that he could do would be to castrate his spirituality by laying claim to a dormant belief. By waking up each morning and requiring himself to once again set out and prove that his beliefs were well founded, he was effectively teaching me what faith really was. Having faith means to take action, even though you cannot see any direct evidence. To have hope when faced with doubt. To press forward in darkness only to discover light a few steps ahead.
The 365 Commitment Podcast focuses on helping people make and keep life changing commitments.
This is day. 3:47. What is having faith?
A man looked at me the eyes and said every morning when I wake up, I look in the mirror and I tell myself that everything I believe is not true.
This statement shook me especially coming from a spiritual leader.
This man was a giant in my young eyes. He even looked like Moses that I had met had imagined. He was tall and Powerful his voice could shake the ground when he spoke. Even the rowdiest crowds Phil silent.
So for him to say this to me, let me perplexed.
To say the least. What did he mean by this?
That question haunted me for decades.
And I finally come to understand the meaning behind his morning ritual.
Belief is the first ingredient to Quay essence.
When you believe you have no compelling reason to do anything about it.
I met a young man. Once who said I believe in God I am Catholic.
I think he said this many times as a dismissive gesture. It allowed him to free pass out of a difficult conversation.
So he repeated it frequently as it to say. Oh, don't worry about me. I'm good.
I then asked him a series of follow-up questions. Oh your Catholic. So you must attend, Mass.
No, I have not attended church since I was a boy. Well, then you must enjoy reading the Bible. No, I don't like to read.
Then you certainly must listen to catholic christian music or devotionals know that stuff is boring.
Well, then you must be active in a local charity sponsored by the Catholic church. Now, I don't have any time for that. How about prayer? Nah, I just feel stupid when I pray.
And this young man's situation is believed was an excuse to do nothing.
I get out of anything religious free card as the conversation shows. It's possible to claim a belief system and have absolutely no faith.
So what does it mean then to have faith?
This is lost on many people like me when I was young you look up to other people and admiration of their great faith and intense spirituality and you imagine some great event that they experienced. Does Paul did on his way to Damascus.
faith
at its core is an action that you take in the absence of proof. You have a faint hope that something is true, but have no direct or tangible evidence.
Yet you proceed. Anyway, you take action you do something and so doing hope that what you're applying. Your faith toward will come true.
The great fallacy and spiritual life is to believe that those who have this quality have received some Divine or direct manifestation.
They that may happen now and then but the reality is that most spiritual people I have met in my life are that way because they spent a lifetime taking action towards something they have no direct evidence. That is true.
People can spend their entire lives looking for some great manifestation when the one thing they required the whole time was their willingness to act in the face of doubt.
CS Lewis wrote on the screwtape letters about these Devils who were corresponding regarding one of their subjects.
Screwtape was really happy when Christianity became Christianity.
meaning that the ideology would replace faith
you would never want to give a human a reason to have faith rather placate them and lull them into a Nord life or faith would never be necessary.
Regardless of your religious persuasion. This is an absolute truth belief alone becomes an excuse for complacency.
So the man who was Moses in my young mind and taught me a powerful lesson.
The worst thing they could do would be to castrate a spirituality by laying claim to a dormant belief.
By waking up each morning and requiring himself to once again set out and prove. His beliefs were well-founded. He was effectively teaching me what faith really was having faith means to take action, even though you cannot see any direct evidence to have hope when faced with doubt to press forward and darkness only to discover a light a few steps ahead.