Posted by Serenity in Faith, You Say Things Now | 19 Comments
Belief
These days I’m fascinated with belief.
I remember many times in my pre-teen and teen years when I would question some part of life or faith, and I would ask someone about it. And they would say, “You know the answer to that.” Because they had been teaching it to me for years based on their understanding of the bible, and they couldn’t understand why I would even question it. I didn’t like that answer very much.
We all live our lives by a certain belief system whether we would call ourselves believers or not. You can basically tell by your decisions what you believe about money, about family, about priorities. And really, you can probably figure out at least a few things you believe about spirituality.
In my book I have this line, “I believe in the soul. I believe we are eternal beings and that we go on forever and can even meet again one day on the other side.” I like that line, because I don’t take for granted that everyone reading will agree with me. And I don’t really make other proclamations in the book about things I believe for sure.
There aren’t a lot of things about God, heaven, Jesus, or Christianity that I am convinced I know. There are several things I’m pretty certain about. And there are many, many convictions by which I live my life whether or not I have sat down and decided for sure that I believe them.
So it kind of fascinates me these days to think about what things I do absolutely believe. And what others do.
Have you heard of the movement online these days to share your secrets?(Anonymously of course). Or the one Felic told me about the other day in which you share the things you think in church but are too afraid to say? Well, as I was thinking about belief this weekend, I thought it might be fun to start my own little movement, in which we share the things we absolutely believe. It doesn’t have to be about God. Maybe you absolutely believe that raising children is the most fulfilling gift on the planet or that happiness is the most important pursuit.
I think I’m kind of wondering if we all did this, all alone in our rooms, how short our lists would be. Or if, once we saw our list in writing, we would adjust the way we live.
So let us have it – and feel free to be anonymous – what do you absolutely believe?
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I’m beginning to think no one really wants to answer this. :) Which actually says a lot. It might be more something to think about than to say.
Oh, I want to answer. It’s just been a busy Monday up to this point. I thought my list would be long, but I find myself having trouble putting things into words. I’m going to give it a try, though: I firmly believe God is good, faithful, merciful, long-suffering, righteous, and true. I’m also convinced I don’t really understand the true meaning of those words as they are expressed in the character of God. I hope I’m learning.
I’m also fully convinced that being the mother of you and your siblings is one of the highest callings and greatest privileges of my life.
My mind is not at its best after a long day, so I am afraid to attempt putting my specific beliefs into words, but I wanted to say that the beliefs that I have questioned in my life — and that made it through all of my questions and doubts still standing — are the ones that mean the most to me. For me, if I haven’t doubted and questioned my beliefs, I don’t feel that I really, truly believe them. I wouldn’t like to be told, “You know the answer to that,” either, because it doesn’t feel like it is really my belief until I have questioned it — and then still believe it.
P.S. I am currently reading “Emily Climbs”, and, regardless of what Mr. Carpenter says regarding italics, if I could have used them in this comment, I would have!
P.P. S. I wonder what Mr. Carpenter would say about inserting a “P.S.” into a blog comment.
OK, OK, I’ll stop now and go to bed!
Whew! Thanks, Mom. I was hoping someone would play!
Angela, I’m a huge fan of italics (you can insert them with HTML), and became even more so after Emily despite Mr. Carpenter’s hatred of them. It’s so hard not to use them. And this is a great comment; that’s just how I feel about my own strongest convictions.
I absolutely believe that God is bigger and more mysterious than I will ever fully understand. And I’m OK with that, but it has humbled me in recent years concerning most of the other things I think I believe.
“I believe but don’t fully understand” seems to be a pattern. That’s how I feel about one of my strongest convictions. I believe Love is the ultimate message. It somehow explains everything God does and it should explain much more of what we all do. But I can’t say I know for sure what things truly show his kind of love.
Hey, Seren!
I am at a point right now that the word “love” best describes what I believe in most also. It is hard for me to use “God”, because everyone’s picture of God is so different. I am finding I am full of way more questions than answers these days. Learning to live in the mystery of it all. I have sat down to write this list several times over the past few years and it just keeps getting shorter. :-)
What a tough question. It would be easier if I didn’t have so many examples of my beliefs changing shape through the years. I guess I believe my beliefs are evolving. I believe that just because I believe something doesn’t make it true. And I believe that it’s okay if I’m wrong… God always has a way of bringing me around and the process is usually quite memorable. I believe being right or wrong isn’t nearly as important as having a soft, teachable, loving, and kind heart.
Of course, I do have the unshakables: I believe God is loving, kind, all-knowing, and all-powerful. What an awesome combination…I’m so grateful to be close to Him.
That is a great question. I have a hard time saying out loud what I believe definitely because it seems like as soon as I do, something makes me question it. However, I’m pretty sure I believe these things (at least, right now):
- That life isn’t made up of moments necessarily, but of people.
- That the two things we most misunderstand are the two most profound things in the world: love and God. And they go hand in hand.
- Sometimes, I’m tempted to believe in humanity, which might be right or wrong. I guess I believe there is at least a speck of goodness in everyone.
- I believe in happy endings. Maybe not right here or right now, but somewhere down the road where no eye can or has seen.
Just now seeing this Seren:
1-I believe my story is already written, which is overwhelming considering I don’t know it all yet.
2-I believe that everyone is born kind, they just may be taught otherwise as they grow, (unfortunately), so they may not end up being a kind person as an adult. Their fault?
3-I believe that for the most part, we all want the same things. Love being the center.
I’m gonna be thinking about this for a while, thanks for provoking my thoughts!
Luv
Tiff
There are very few things I know for sure – but this is a fascinating question, and great discussion. I, too, believe that God is bigger and more powerful – and also more loving – than I could ever understand. I also believe firmly in happy endings – though they’re often down the road, as Sarah said. And I’m trying to figure out how to articulate this – but I believe in the small gifts of life, the ones like sunshine and good music and emails from friends, that somehow keep us going even on very rough days.
I believe art, especially music, is magic or transcendent even if there is nothing to transcend. That it can make life a bit more worthwhile even if this is all there is. And that reading can actually help you become a better person, a stronger friend and a richer soul.
I believe that saying “if this is all there is” can be a worthwhile question but is likely looking a gift horse in the mouth on a cosmic scale. You get an unbelievably complex universe that is beautiful and that we can know to some degree, and “Is this all there is?” is the question you ask? (By the way, I’m counting myself in the “you” there.)
I believe that friends and family are probably the most important thing we have as well as one of the chief points of suffering we have and that somehow those two things work together.
I believe that being right isn’t as important as I think it is and that I certainly don’t need to correct everyone who is wrong. I believe this despite my unremitting ‘need’ to correct anyone I see say something that I think I know to be wrong.
I believe it is time to wrap up this comment.
i believe that the world i can see isn’t the real world–the real world is the one i can’t see with my eyes.
i believe God is good, that He loves me, and that what He wants most for me is to live the beautiful, epic, eternal life He designed for me, and that He made that possible through Jesus.
and i believe that i often–maybe mostly, don’t really live according to my beliefs. my friend david wrote a song
in which he says,
“my whole life is juxtaposed
to all the things i say that i believe;
i’m just a billboard sign
for my discrepancies”
and that’s how i often feel, especially today.
and it’s times like today when i’m so very glad that i also believe in God’s grace and mercy, which has the strength and power to overcome all my crap.
Checking back in. Wow. What wonderful comments, all of them! Thanks, Seren, for prompting these posts. Refreshing.
I agree, Amy! I love reading these. It’s so cool to hear what others say and realize it’s something you’d felt but hadn’t voiced. I’m extremely proud that my little blog was the mode of transportation for all these powerful, beautiful thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmIdLNuCqvs
Have you ever heard this song? It’s a CLASSIC and so perfectly fits this post.
“I believe in love, I believe in babies, I believe in Mom and Dad, and I believe in you.”
I think old Don says it best: I believe in love. And to me, God is love–completely accepting, wildly unconventional love.
I belive………………most of it has been said, for me :)
One of the things I most believe came out of one the darkest times of my life — when my brother died. I believe life is extremely fragile. This belief causes me to be very grateful for every moment lived with family, friends and those I am yet to meet. I try not to take every day life for granted , because I am aware of how quickly life can dramatically change.
No, May, I don’t think I’d heard that one. There is something so settling about remembering the things you believe for sure. And, Cheri, that’s a big one for me too.