A note to readers: This is part two of a four-part, Advent-themed column series from Katie Neustaeter. You can find part one here.
Faith can be a bit of a scary topic to explore in 2019.
It can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield to try and talk openly and honestly about a topic so subjective and personal, and yet I can’t help wondering if it’s the antidote we need to some of the oppressive anxiety we’re experiencing in North America right now.
Have many of us blocked off the portion of ourselves that leads to internal prosperity? The part we do not trust because it cannot be seen — the faith part of us?
If you follow my writing you will know by now that I am both a person of faith and a person of logic, which I realize might seem to be a bit of a juxtaposition. In order to be a person of faith don't you have to set aside all rational thinking? Don’t you have to deny science, ignore history, put all of your trust in what the online comment section calls “an imaginary friend” and hate anyone who does not hold the same theology as you do?
The answer is, unequivocally, no.
Today, as we enter the second week of Advent, it is my hope that we do not just focus on the theme of faith, but that we take the time to examine what real faith is and better understand the freeing power that it can have in our lives.
I’m not talking about “blind faith,” which is often nothing more than putting our heads in the sand and ignoring the realities of life, but instead trusting a broader definition of faith that reminds us that the details we see today are only a snapshot of time as it stretches across the expanse of history and unfolds into a greater purpose.
At Christmas, I spend a lot of time thinking about Mary, mother of Jesus, who is perhaps the truest representation of faith during this season. If you have been a pregnant woman in the 21st century you will know all about birth plans, staying close to home near your due date, taking folic acid and that riding a donkey is pretty much the last thing in the world you would be inclined to do during your third trimester.
And yet, a teenaged Mary was given a calling at a time that made birth plans, nesting, prenatal vitamins and a trip to the hospital in a minivan impossible. It was a task to which she did not and could not feel equal, and yet she rose because she harboured deep faith; faith that the calling to be that child’s mother would serve a purpose beyond her wildest imaginings and that he would change everything through both his humble beginnings and his humble, earthly end.
Much like an autobiography transferred to film, we know that the scene in Bethlehem did not transpire exactly how it is depicted in a nativity on our North American mantles, it is not the timeline as told by Hollywood that we have faith in: the wise men came years later, there was certainly no snow on the ground, the babe in the manger did not have milky-white skin and the scene was not a tidy one. But the one thing that remains unchanged (even with our truncated and sanitized picture of Christmas) is the faith of the young mother who knew that being unwed meant she would likely be stoned to death, that the long journey would be dangerous and that because she was called by faith the choice would be worth the struggle.
The same faith that told Mary to carry that child, Joseph to make her his bride, the wise men to bow down, and the shepherds to follow that star still whispers to us today. Just like Mary, we can choose to have faith that there is more to this life than what immediately meets the eye; something beyond this earthly veil that can alter the course of human history through one life that is obedient to faith.
If battling rules and uncertainty of this world has left you dry, anxious and soul-weary, then take the opportunity this week to choose faith; not “faith” like the hypocrites you despise, not “faith” like the religion that has failed you in the past, not “faith” like the politicians who twist its meaning to justify their policy, but faith like that teenager kneeling in the dirt before a piece of heaven that she delivered, through faith, to Earth. Faith that is certain, brave, difficult and focused on a purpose that is greater than just today.
The kind of faith that leads to joy and peace, which always follows next.
Katie Neustaeter is a professional writer with a background in broadcasting and owner of Refraction Communications. Katie is also a multiple Kamloops Readers Choice award winner in categories including Influencer, Volunteer and Personality. She also really loves candy. As a community advocate who is passionately engaged in her region, Katie explores a wide range of topics in her column Refraction with the purpose of promoting healthy public discourse.
