Concrete Faith

Hebrews 11:1-3 - The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see. (MSG)

I have a problem with judging distance; I always have, as far as I know. Overall, this has not caused too many problems, except for some with driving and parking -- to which my family will attest! One of my biggest problems has always been with parking ramps. I try to avoid them at all costs.

Recently, my mom was in the hospital. The hospital has a parking ramp. On a couple of days during the week, I had no choice but to park on the ramp. On the first day, I cautiously approached the ramp, driving my van. The bar at the entrance hangs at the seven-foot mark. My head knows that in most ramp parking lots, my van will fit. My eyes, though, tell me a different story. My eyes make me think that I will be bashing my way through -- if I get in at all.

I have had to learn that my eyes are not always my most accurate source of information. Sometimes, I need to lean on the fact that there is more to something than what my eyes see. As I was pulling into the ramp that first day, I was reminded that faith is often like that, and I remembered today's verses from Hebrews. There are many versions; basically, it boils down to the fact that faith is not based on what we see. Faith is believing in what we don't/can't/won't see.

I realized that faith is much more firm and structured than I had thought and had been feeling. Faith is what my heart knows, but my head (logic) and my eyes try to convince me otherwise. We need to keep our eyes and our hearts open for those little ways that God uses to let us know that He's there.

Prayer: God, thank You for the times when we are reminded that we can believe in what we may not always see with our eyes. Thank You for little nudges that move us in the right direction. You are a firm foundation for both our heads and our hearts. Amen.

Karen Lynema kjjal@altelco.net
Allendale, Michigan, USA

Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca