I’ve been thinking about the importance of faith recently. I’m not thinking about my faith but rather how to witness it. How do we share our faith with those who really are skeptical, especially around Christians? Where do we begin?
Well, we know faith does not come easy. Most schools do not teach faith. So, let’s begin at the school of hard knocks. Many of us have graduated from this school and found it a necessary place to discover faith because we learned about trust. Granted, for many young adults today that is not the case. Their spiritual development unfortunately is centered around broken trust time and time again. No wonder, faith presents a stumbling block when it comes to trust.
My “target audience” especially is the younger generations known as GenX or GenZ. They have been whacked not only by COVID and social, political, and economic turbulences as the years tick by, but fear raises its ugly head invading what innocence they once held. For those of us on the outside, we need not identify with their issues in life but rather recognize where the real pain is hurting them and blocking trust.
Pain is neither negative nor positive. How we respond to pain is what makes the difference. Unfortunately, for some when facing pain, they do anything possible not to feel the pain. Others try and cover the pain with distractions like money, food, alcohol—you name it. Then, there are those who attempt to think their way into a new way of living. Of course, others avoid pain by seeking a geographical cure where they switch cities for a different job or relational cures by swapping spouses and on and on.
Pain can take us down a destructive path or it can be used to our advantage. This, of course, is the preacher in me. But I really do believe faith is as tough as nails. It is here as we work our way through hurt and suffering with a faith made available to us by Jesus who was nailed to the cross. Do you want to talk about pain and faith?
It may seem illogical to consider faith in the midst of brokenness or loss but again, it is true when sometimes we are down all we can do is look up. Also, we do not need to do anything to receive faith except place our confidence and trust in Jesus as Lord of our life. It is all that is needed to get started.
This new life of faith in Christ may seem counter-intuitive because we did not earn it, nor deserve it, nor because of our trophies, or who we are. It is more a result of what we are becoming as Jesus’ followers. The story of Peter trying to walk on water may seem silly but the reality is Peter sank—like a rock. He could not do it alone. He was dying. He was about to hit bottom. He needed faith to live. He was going under and cried out for a savior. Jesus holds out faith for living—not drowning.
Funerals can be tough. Especially when we bury the younger generation. They really are looking for someone to believe in. Let’s introduce them to Jesus.
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