In this entry, I am continuing to explore Christian masculinity with a reflection on the power of faith to guide and sustain man for a lifetime. We all need something to believe in, and I have witnessed (and experienced!) the power of something breaking into one's mortal existence in a transformative manner to change the course of a life. I am convinced that we need an understanding of connection to a greater reality to give life meaning: simply turning oxygen into CO2, seeking to avoid pain and experience pleasure, and accumulating stuff with the goal of winning by "dying with the most toys" is a pointless existence. Faith gives a target to aim the trajectory of one's lifetime at a purpose and goal (utilizing "telos," in Aristotle's terminology). In my life and work, I have encountered various definitions of faith. My favorite conception remains based on the work of James Fowler, depicting an overall understanding of faith as one's way of leaning into and making sense of life, and composed of an overarching system of images, commitments and values guiding one's life. On a more personal and religious level, faith is to me a commitment of my life into the hand of a God who loves me and calls me to live out His will in my mortal existence. I trust that the teachings and experiences guiding my daily choices are grounded in true wisdom from One who knows me and is working to bring me along a pathway to abundant life today, and into eternity. A verse which has been personally meaningful to me when seeking to live with a "long" view of daily choices is found in Hebrews 11:27b, "for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (NASB)."
Perhaps it can be seen as arrogance, living a life convinced that God sees and cares about the actions and thoughts of one individual among billions of people living on planet Earth. Does God even exist? And how do we know that He is an intelligent, caring and active being? These are deep and abiding questions, and very difficult to answer to the satisfaction of the modern mind exposed to a sophisticated dependence on technology, science and "provable" statements. One one level, these questions cannot be adequately answered. God does not appear for interviews on network TV shows to answer questions about His existence and being, or submit to laboratory analysis and experimentation. By definition, "supernatural" events necessarily defy the laws of nature and orderly expectations of cause and effect. How then can we place our trust into God when choosing how to live on a daily basis?
I remain convinced that faith is a personal choice and spiritual experience, buttressed by tradition and the testimony of countless witness throughout the ages. Much is made of differences within scripture (for example, the different perspectives offered on similar events by authors of various Gospels) but in my opinion too little credit is given to the remarkable consistency among biblical accounts. Other writers have researched the topic thoroughly, but my understanding is that the volume and agreement among various existing ancient manuscripts of Scripture is unparalleled in historical documentary accounts. For me, however, faith is ultimately a question of what I believe and have experienced. I think this was also true for Joseph, who I am using as a model of faith in this series of blog posts.
Matthew 1-2 describes his experiences when preparing for marriage to Mary. For today's reflection, 1:20 highlights a personal experience which demonstrates the impact faith had on his life. When he had determined to end his engagement to Mary after learning of her pregnancy, an angel appeared to him in a dream and challenged his decision. The angel told him not to be afraid, to move ahead with the wedding, and reassured him that Jesus was part of God's will (for his own life as well as humanity's salvation). Joseph lived out his faith, and Joseph became part of the story of God's redemptive plan.
My own life has obviously not been as dramatically impacted, and will never have the kind of far-reaching implications depicted here. However, on the smaller scale of one Appalachian farmboy's life, I am also convinced that the supernatural has crowded into my life choices at times as well. One event which changed the trajectory of my life came at a typical crossroads. I was attending NCSU as a freshman when I felt called into ministry, and my life has taken a far different (and more rewarding) direction since accepting this call. I will always remember attending an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship meeting, where the speakers were talking about missions, ministry and faith. They were emphasizing the missionary "Caleb project" at this meeting, and while I did not sense a calling into missions work I did get an overwhelming sense that God was calling me into vocational ministry. Through a series of discussions, encouragement from my pastor in Raleigh, and information from my denominational school (Lee University), I made the decision to transfer for my sophomore year. This experience in the spring of 1990 led to a change in location, college and career. Other events and experiences have also helped shape my life's path and reinforced my faith at important points of my faith journey (experiencing anger at God for some losses in my life, while coming to Job 38-39 in my daily devotional reading, was quite the humbling experience). I am convinced that God cares for and directs human lives, if we will commit our ways in trust to him. The paths He leads us along are much more rewarding (though usually involving sacrifice) than we can devise in our own limited understanding. Faith is an essential part of becoming a better man.
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