Imagine a world where there was only faith; lives lived without doubt. There would be no need to explore the unknown. In truth, cherished faith and unavoidable doubt are the underpinnings of religion. Without them, we cannot know God intimately. It seems to me God did not know for sure if His creation would evolve toward goodness. Even though God is inherent in all things, life’s diversity is full of distortion and creativity.
Humanity is constantly changing and presented with an unknown future. At one end of the spectrum we have faith to bind us together, it is inherent in our collective desire for commonality. The law of attraction, the desire for union God has with himself/herself. We have a need to be with one another. We feel connected to one another as God feels connected to His creation. It is the sensation of faith that gives life continuity. On the other end, we can live with a definition of God that is equally open ended acting out change through potential.
Do not Doubt your Pain and Brokenness
When we get very comfortable with the pain of doubt, something new arises. We come face to face with the seeds of creativity, potential, and growth. All seeds must die, shedding the kernel of its protective coating. The power and life force in the seed breaks through a natural barrier of the kernel. The plant germinates or manifests because of divine energy hidden within. Our human psyche is the same. It too has a kernel of protection. Our past identity and illusions we create because of cherished faith must be broken and destroyed to release new light. We need to cherish our faith because it binds us together along the journey. Yet, with time, the unavoidable doubt arises out of the need for rebellious hearts to change and transformation.
Do not Cherish your Faith too tightly
The “true believers” of today have an overly developed sense of cherished faith. I do not think it is the faith that causes the problem, but the cherishing of that faith. A cherished faith can put out the flames of doubt and create a self-righteous attitude of intolerance. People of great faith often posses great doubt, which spurs them to great growth. Mother Teresa experienced decades of doubt, as was revealed after her death. St Teresa of Avila was constantly in turmoil because of her doubt. They both knew spiritual darkness; their minds could not always see, it filled their reason with doubt, their souls were a blank void hoping there was a God who was by their side. YET they had faith. People tremble tell their stories and we wonder how could they have had such tormented lives. The nature of biblical faith is not built on cherished faith, but unavoidable doubt. Look at the prophets. They were faith filled enough to act on God’s behalf but rejected by God in the end. Did they doubt, I bet they did. Did they do the work, yes with a lot of faith.
Doubt is necessary i
n all encounters, intellectual breakthroughs, and relationships, not just with the Divine. Without doubt, our creativity cannot flourish. Human beings need to have questions to withstand and resolve the upheaval and unexpected. Faith is our security, sustaining us without proof and fearlessly trusting a breakthrough will happen. Patience helps us endure waiting for change, we get to flounder in the unexpected consequence of not knowing where we might end up.
Enough Faith to rest and wait for the change
In today’s world we want too much certainty thinking it will eliminate our anxiety. It will not. Life and death are two halves of the same whole and faith and doubt harbor much of the same relationship. To know anything fully, we need to get very comfortable with the mysterious and unknowable. Faith is our resting place and cherished.
For more information about Mary Jane Miller and her wonderful ministry, visit her blog at San Miguel icons. You may find out about her books at Mary Jane Miller on LULU.com and you can follow Mary Jane at Facebook and Twitter. Mary Jane’s wonderful workshops have been suspended due to Corona stay tuned at Sacred Icon Retreats.
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