It takes more than “faith” …

Whatever was wrong with my shoulder was becoming more like a drama series as I was passed from doctor to doctor.

During the 1990’s I injured my shoulder, but it took some detective work to figure out exactly what was wrong.

I started with an appointment with my family physician. He took some x-rays, completed an exam, scratched his head, and a few visits later figured out he didn’t know what was wrong.

That led to a referral to a surgeon, who really worked at trying to eliminate the possibilities, but arrived at a dead end. Unlike many surgeons, he said he didn’t simply want to conduct surgery to explore what was wrong but, instead, wanted to refer me to another doctor.

But this time, I was sent to see a specialist. The third physician had a reputation for being one of the top three shoulder specialists in the nation. His entire practice focused solely on shoulders.

He discovered the problem!

As it turned out, I had a partially torn rotator cuff and an impingement of the shoulder. I had arthroscopic surgery to repair the impingement, but the doctor recommended I live with the tear in the rotator cuff, as he gave me only a 60 percent chance of being able to rehab my shoulder to the condition it was in at the time. So I have lived with the tear, and over the years have worked hard to strengthen my shoulder.

Finding out what was wrong turned out to be a timely, slow endeavor. As I went through all the exams, tests, and re-exams, I realized I didn’t have faith in the system that was passing me along, but in knowing there would be someone who had the skill to make a correct diagnosis. I discovered I had faith in my specialist, and he got it right.

Systems don’t always take us where we need or want to be, but making the right personal connection makes all the difference in the world!

The same is true as Christians. Unfortunately, many have designed a spiritual life that is far more about having faith in faith than it is about having faith in God. They do all the things we’re told should be a part of our “spiritual system” of faith, and yet remain less than whole and unfulfilled.

That’s because their faith has been in their faith, rather than the God of their faith. They have trusted in a spiritual system rather than a personal God. The aspects of faith, from the study of scripture to the practice of prayer, are means of bringing us into personal interaction with God, but instead are often substituted in place of that personal connection.

In Mark 11:22-25, Jesus addresses this issue with straightforward simplicity:

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.'”

Often when we read this passage, we look at the issue of having faith, or the power of praying and believing, and miss the very first thing Jesus said: “Have faith in God.” Not in faith. Not in prayer. Not in belief. But in God.

Certainly, we can have assurance as to the roles and values of faith and prayer and other aspects of practicing our faith, but these are a means of living out our faith in God. Christianity is about an intensely personal, real relationship with our Creator and not about the elements of “the faith.”

What are you trusting in: aspects of “the faith,” or in God Himself?

Scotty