Walking by Faith
Paradoxical progress
Sometimes faith looks like irrational optimism (e.g., “Despite the odds I believe things will get better”). Other times it looks like stoic resiliency (e.g., “Even if things get worse I believe I'll be okay in the end”). Faith is a paradox. To have faith is to let go; to have faith is to hold on.
Faith rarely looks “sane” to onlookers… building a boat when you’ve never seen rain, moving without knowing where, marching around walls when you need to go through them, choosing to be thrown in the furnace, feeling comfortable in the lion’s den… Faith seems crazy to people without it. Why? Because when I have faith, I choose to trust in a proven reliable source even when it contradicts what I see with my eyes or perceive with my own understanding.
The Bible tells us to walk by faith and not by sight for a reason. Walking by sight feels safer. It’s more comfortable. It “makes sense to me” and “feels right.” I like to lean on my own understanding because I think I’m a pretty smart guy. But God blesses us when we acknowledge His ways and trust Him.
God’s way of doing things isn’t my way of doing things. That’s why He’s God and I’m not. But, faith tells me that His way is better, higher, nobler, and more rewarding. Sometimes God’s way doesn’t make sense to me because I "don't know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Thankfully, God gave us a Master Teacher and it’s never too late to learn.
As a guy who has spent most of his life trying to live by sight instead of faith, my advice is simple. Have a little faith—just a mustard seed’s worth—and see how things change.