Just Believe?
Just believe. Isn’t that what Peter said to Wendy and her little brothers? And they were able to fly away on a grand adventure in NeverNever Land! A little Pixie Dust goes a long way — if only you believe!
‘Just believe things are going to get better.”
“I dunno. It looks like things are gonna get a lot worse.”
“No! Ya gotta just believe!”
“I dunno. That looks like a pretty large tornado coming this way.”
There is a case to be made for blind faith, but not blind belief. Let me explain. What I mean by blind faith is exercised by a person who is blind. Now, I am not trying to be cute or funny here nor ironic and insensitive. The blind person has a specially trained dog whom they trust explicitly. I met a young lady once,on Hertel Ave., blind, with her dog, waiting for the bus…I was amazed. Their experience with this guide dog, who had proven itself over and over, has developed in the person a solid faith in their working relationship. Even though she is blind, the trust is absolute and has developed into faith. This faith is substantive. It isn’t hope for hope’s sake. It isn’t, “Just believe.”
With God, the God revealed in the Bible, it is the same. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (Hebrews 11:1,KJV) or “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (ibid, NIV) It has substance, we can draw assurance from it, and it is what we can live by, trusting through experience its guiding ability. Now,I know God is quite a leap from Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, but my point is “the proof is in the pudding.” Unless you, one who is spiritually blind, can first acknowledge you are blind and are willing to learn to work with the guide God has provided for you, you will not successfully navigate all the curbs, the intersections, and the obstacles in living. Again, this kind of faith has substance, a leash and harness you can grab hold of, a guide who you will learn to work with and trust.
If you first do not believe in God of biblical fame, you must believe in something, some credo, some religious alternative, or even you must decide to believe in nothing at all. People are always construing some ideology or moral regime. I suppose those are where “Just believe.” comes in most handily.
I hope that I do not seem to you to be like the cartoonish caricature of the used car salesman, handing you a line of bologna like “This beauty rides like a Cadillac!” and “It was owned by an elderly Grandma who never took it out of her garage.” Read biographies of people like Corrie ten Boom and Joni Eareckson Tada who went through hard times but found someone to guide them through life. They believed in harsh realities. They didn’t “just believe.”
I’vemetJesus,and nothing but nothing will ever dissuade me from acknowledging the fact that He is absolutely real, andHehas changed me for the better ever since, and I just want you to know…
