The Tension

I often hear people talk about how we need to hold things in tension when it comes to faith. I don't think I have ever understood that better than on July 4, 2008. That day, I was in Corinth, Greece. It was not any of Paul's words to the Corinthians that moved me to deeper understanding of Truth, but a jump at the Corinth Canal. I was not expecting to bungee jump that day, but something inside me told me it was an experience I just couldn't pass up. Something else inside me, though, kept reminding me that something could definitely go wrong when you're jumping off of a bridge 150 feet above the water. What I was holding in tension was my faith in the rope and the people who understood the rope versus my doubts that everything would go well and I would return home unharmed. How did I test that? I jumped.

This is not an analogy where the rope is a metaphor for God. God is much more reliable than a bungee cord. But, because I was afraid that the jump could lead to death or injury, I was doubtful and I was forced to hold doubt and faith in tension. I can't, however, stand on the edge forever, endlessly weighing which side of my brain I trusted more.

When I experience deep pain or witness extreme injustice, I certainly find myself doubting a faithful God. There was a time when I would recognize that doubt and determine that I must not have enough faith. Now, though, I understand that true faith does not come without doubt. If I think I have faith without doubt, then I don't have faith at all - I have certainty. But we are called to faith, and ultimately, that faith must lead us to "jump." Trust me, it would have been a lot easier to take the plunge in Corinth from a place of certainty, but it was weighing all the doubts in my mind that made it a leap of faith.

Posted by Becky Riggers