Faith is something that is integral in our walks as Christians, one could say it’s the very foundation of our very walk with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8 NIV). What does faith mean to you? What’s its purpose?
As long as I could remember, I have always struggled with the concept of faith, and when I became a Christian, that struggle to understand became more and more apparent. It wasn’t until this new season that God brought me to that I realized the different types of faith there are, and the lack thereof that I had. As long as I could remember, when it came to believing in God, He was something I could never physically see or grasp, but I believed He was real because those close to me believed in and spoke about Him. Just like many of you, my first memories of God and interactions with what I think faith is, was going to church with my family and believing when my parents or whoever mentioned anything related to God was true.
I, like many of you possibly, knew of God through others experiences and faith, but did we ever have our own faith in or experience God on our own?
As early as I could remember whenever I went through hardships or went through challenging periods within my life, I would first lean on to others, such as my parents whom I knew had an relationship with God or great faith in Him, at least greater faith than me. But what faith did I have? I had “fictional-faith”, which I call faith that crumbles amidst adversity easily, and said actions by a person who has this type of faith demonstrates that they don’t have any faith at all but fear. Early in my walk as a Christian, I had faith in others asking God to help me, I had faith that God would want to hear from them over me, and I had faith that God wouldn’t want to be bothered or respond to someone who was a dirty rag at their best like I saw myself (Isaiah 64:6 KJV). I realized after living this way after so many years, that I never had “functional faith”, the faith that God reminds us to have continually throughout in this life, like 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) or Matthew 17:20 (NIV) reminds us to have. God calls us to have “functional-faith”, which is you not being passive amidst trial, turmoil, or goal, but you being as an active participant in your life, choosing to trust God and demonstrating actions that showcase said faith in God.
The Bible features countless examples of different people who were experiencing something or going through a trial, but demonstrated “functional-faith.” But my favorite is Moses in Hebrews 11, which features vast examples of Moses making choices that demonstrated his “functional-faith” in God. In this new season God has called me, I’ve been scared, confused, lost among other things, but I’m thankful that God has always leaned out his faithful hand amidst my trials or confusion while on my path. In the trying moments of this season that I’m in from the choices, hard conversations had, and internal battles that only God and I know about, I always feel like what I’m doing is scary but God is going to make it right or be at the end of it no matter what the end result may have been (Romans 8:28). I, like all of you, have to make choices each and every day. I believe that we all will have to choose will we make them in “fictional” or “functional” faith? Which will you?
