The Problem Of Faith
Faith is elusive. It is shunned by the strong and despised by the wise. In contrast, the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the broken, and the poor flock to faith as shelter in the storms of life.
Why is there such a stark contrast in how people respond to the concept of faith? One person may reject it and those who hold it dear, while another may cling to it like a baby to its mother’s breast.
To find the answer, every person needs to look within themselves to see if pride or humility is central to their character. Looking back at you, what you see will decide how you respond to faith.
If you find pride, you will likely see yourself as too strong, independent, or wise to need a crutch-like faith to navigate life. Why should you believe in or be accountable to any higher power? After all, you are the master of your life and world.
Until you’re not!
When this happens, and it will happen, many respond in anger, lashing out at those around them and rage at the God that they never believed in. demanding an explanation as to how this mythical God could let this happen. (Proverbs 11:12, 16:5, 16:18)
Maybe you’re the person who sinks into depression and self-condemnation as you ask yourself, “How did I lose control?” The sad truth is you never had control.
On the other hand, humility and meekness play a significant role in shaping one’s response to faith. They are like fraternal twins, similar in many ways but not identical.
Those who find humbleness at the center of their character look outside themselves. They don’t discount their needs and desires, but they also weigh the needs of those around them, fostering a sense of community and support.
Meekness is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you’re anyone’s doormat; instead, you have the self-confidence to practice restraint and bear heavy burdens without contradicting your beliefs. Biblical meekness is literally defined as strength under control, empowering you to navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience.
Those who find humility and meekness at the center of their ego are accustomed to looking outside themselves. Typically, they see themselves as part of their world, not masters of it, making it easier to embrace faith in God.
The storms of life will come to the meek and humble as well. However, because they are more likely to be plugged into support networks outside themselves and have faith in God, they are less likely to collapse in the storms of life. (Matthew 7:24–27)
In my life, I’ve found myself in both places. As a teen, when others dictated life, I searched for answers outside myself — I searched for a personal connection with God but never found it.
After college, my hunger for God vanished when I launched my career. I had the world by the tail and watched my career rise until it didn’t. When everything collapsed I fell into the bottle and a dangerous downward spiral.
At the bottom, broken, hopeless, and disillusioned, God picked me up, loved me, and healed me. Then I understood I was never in control and any success had come through God; nothing had been earned or deserved. These experiences have taught me valuable lessons and inspired my journey of faith.
In truth, none of what I lost was essential, and it was all slowly killing me. What I received in its place has eternal value, just Matthew 19:29 says
“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
Being proud doesn’t guarantee wealth and success any more than being humble promises poverty or brokenness; being wealthy doesn’t guarantee happiness, just as being poor doesn’t assure misery.
There is one way to contentment, and that is the path Jesus blazed for us by going to the cross. He had this to say about being the only way,
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13–14
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
I began by asking, “Why do some shun and detest faith while others flock to it, clinging to it for dear life?” The difference is what drives our ego. Is it pride or humility and meekness?
The proud rely on their own strengths, such as wealth, physical prowess, or education. They believe they need no one, not even God. In contrast, the humble and meek understand the importance of looking outside themselves for solutions. This outward focus makes it easier for them to embrace faith and rely on God.
I leave you with these final words on Pride and Humility,
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. James 4:6b
…a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise Psalm 51:17b
