Fearless Faith

If you desire clarity over ambiguity, certainty over speculation and cold hard facts over hypothetical conjecture, one arena to consider fleeing might be theology. As much as we like to condense it to plain, simple, understandable principles, its passionate insertion into our daily lives is part of the cost of holding our faith near and dear. Most of us wouldn’t have it any other way in spite of the challenges it brings to the everyday, places already filled to the brim with calendars ripped from our professional and recreational lives.

How can something so important be so problematic? It is eerily like the early days of GPS software accompanied by all the hype and far-reaching promises of any new product. The roll out was not without error by any stretch but, bit-by-bit, it began taking on a greater role in our lives without a whole lot of fanfare. Its functionality was key. With little to no fanfare, wrestling with paper road maps while driving became (mostly) relegated to the past. Audio directions utilizing one’s virtual choice of gender and accent created a safer hands-free environment overnight.

Dispassionate guiding and offerings on getting from point A to point B are surprisingly helpful. Even when virtual maps have been fooled during recent construction or unforeseen detours, there is no anguish and gnashing of teeth over such deviations. One need only be patient and the problem will likely resolve. We could learn a few things from such courses of action. How often do we allow emotional responses to direct our actions, even when we know they are at times destructive?

Consider the qualities that a GPS unit offers. In the worst of traffic, calmness rules. No cursing, yelling, or popping antacid to manage a long hot commute. Rationality tempers our less-than-helpful passionate pleas and keeps us safer in so many ways. In a much younger and dumber phase of my life, I once responded to a vexing traffic situation by offering a single finger salute as my grown-up contribution to a more well-ordered society. Having ‘voiced’ my opinion, I was smug until I realized I was stuck at a notoriously long traffic light, and in my mirror I could see the recipient of my best wishes get out of his car and charge my direction. Just as he began emphatically pounding on my driver’s side window, the light blessedly changed and I lived to drive another day. It was an education. I was unaware one could string together that many expletives in such creative fashion. It was a work of art, extemporaneous speech at its best. In the moment, however, it was just plain dumb.

Getting a grasp on religion requires both passionate and dispassionate elements to be present. Do we have the capacity to blend enough understandings sop that hybrid vigor results in something new and startling and wonderful? It means getting to know potentials and limitations. Both can be intimidating. The voices around us are not the only voices we should attend to. Others, even those disconnected, are also worth considering. Last I heard, there are lots of flavors and stripes of Christianity, enough to get us into serious trouble if we allow. Perhaps a religious GPS unit or two would enable us to overcome our non-thinking moments.