Faith

Solid Ground

“Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.” Paul Tillich

I had a conversation yesterday with a young friend of mine. He's a passionate and earnest man, who is searching high and low for soul in his life. He carries more authentic eros than most human beings I know, but finds no match for it, nor much appreciation of it in his peer group. He has started early to ask the big questions about life, about that ultimate reality we call God, and about where to find faith within himself. What is truth, and what is not?

I well remember this part of the journey. It feels like longing in a pit so deep one cannot see the bottom. You keep shining lights of varying strengths down through the darkness, and just when it seems nothing is strong enough, it flashes back at you with a brilliance so pure your eyes are dazzled. There it is! And, just as quickly, it's gone. Ah, but now you know it's there, you weren't dreaming. Your search takes on an air of playfulness it hasn't had before. The ineffable wants you to keep searching, keep knocking, and not give up. It will feed you little bits of wonder—just enough to keep you going.

Longing turns into knowing. Faith is not something you are taught; it does not feel the way you've been told it would. Now it is within you like solid ground. You don't have to search for it, because you carry it with you; all you have to do is go to it and trust the answers you receive are the right ones for you.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                       Jane