Faith is a personal matter which affects others in ways that cannot be known.
It is as if we are walking, talking sermons whether we intend to be or not.
President Jimmy Carter wrote a book in 2018 called “Faith; A Journey for All” in which he explores his own path and how it has guided his life. There is substantial evidence that his faith influenced the direction of our country and touched the lives of countless thousands. At age 95, this remarkable man continues to demonstrate the power of peace, love, and compassionate action. He is a true exemplar. But the faith impact of each one of us is no less dramatic…only a bit less noticeable.
This seemingly personal matter plays out in ever-widening ripples from our family and closest friends to people we will probably never meet. Our faith makes each of us "the salt of the earth and the light of the world." (Matthew 5:13-14)
Faith is never static, fixed, or unyielding. While an integral part of religion, it is not confined to one belief system or another. It grows with us over time as our experiences of God expand and evolve. Just as the relationship we have with our parents changes and transforms, so it is with faith.
When I was a little kid, my Dad was a hero and Mom was a source of comfort. But as I grew up, those defining attributes dimmed. Though an element of childhood understanding remained, I came to know them differently. They were fallible and sometimes annoyingly objectionable. As an adult, yet another perception of them developed. We interacted more like peers with a unique common bond. Remarkably, now that they are both gone, combinations of knowing and never really knowing them create an unfolding love story.
What Dad or Mom believed about God is a mystery to me. We never talked about it. Though members of the Presbyterian Church, neither was particularity religious. But both of them were people of faith reflected in the fact that they were known to be salt of the earth who provided delicious flavor to life and were sources of joy and light.
It all comes down to a matter of faith and love. We are living in a time when political and economic systems that claim religious foundations are tearing us apart. The hope they promise us is transitory and fleeting with little flavor or light. We must resist the temptation to follow this wicked game so clearly devoid of faith and love.
I have come to believe that faith is inseparable from love. And If we find something to be judgemental, divisive, exclusive or immovable there is little room for God. Like St. Paul tells us; "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have Love, I am nothing."