“Faith does absolutely nothing for me.”
This was a pronouncement by a person who came to the rectory to let me know this.
“It seems to me,” by way of my response, “that among the many, many things that faith does do for you, right now it is providing you with a place to go and discuss your displeasure.”
But underneath that question is an underlying question and it is this: “I want my faith to do something for me in spite of me.”
The return question might be, “What have you done for your faith recently?”
Faith is primarily a relationship. It is first and foremost a relationship with God. If you had a friend who was to you exactly like the friend you are to God, would you want to be your friend? How often do you talking for how long? How loving are you to God? How often do you take up His causes? How closely do you listen to Him and take His advice? How often do you give thanks and praise? He was willing to die for you, are you willing to die for Him? Or be willing to face a repercussion for love of Him? Or be embarrassed on behalf of Him? Or at least be somewhat inconvenienced on behalf of Him?
Faith is also a relationship with the faith community. The person that says that the faith community is doing nothing for them is quite often the person who does nothing for the faith community or only does them on their own terms.
It is like letters (snail mail ones) when I was a kid. I was sad that I never got mail. My Mom said, “If you want mail, you must also write letters.” So I did. And I started getting letters back. Imagine that.
If you are able to read this, God has already done so much for you that you cannot even begin to fathom the depth and height and width of the indebtedness that we have. Even that feeling that you are not receiving what you think you need or want is itself God working in you, through longing, to bring you to the next level of faith, hope, and love.
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