Faith

“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” You’ve heard this and so have I. Most people with any level of understanding know intuitively this is a bad definition. But then what is faith?
By now you must be tired of hearing about the birds and you must surely wonder if I have nothing better to do that reflect on this ordinary event that happened just outside my door. [For new readers, go back a few entries to start at the beginning.] But the bird saga just keeps coming up.

Imagine your whole world consisting of an area about nine or ten inches in diameter. You’re sharing this space with three other beings, crammed together with hardly any room to move. When you’re hungry, someone appears from the sky and you’re fed. When the wind and rain threaten, someone covers you with warmth and shelter. Then one day something changes. You have an urge to leave the nest and the someone who has been meeting your every need is encouraging you.

You can see where this is going, right? We receive dozens of catalogs each week, sometimes each day. Most get put immediately in the recycle bin. But one always catches my eye. It’s called Femail Creations. [www.femailcreations.com.] While pretty clearly not written for me, I find many of its products profound. One I bought was a plaque which said, “Love as if you’ve never been hurt before.” I like that a lot. But to the point. This issue reminded me of my birds. Here’s what a little framed print had to say.

“When you come to the edge of all the light you have known and are about to step out into the darkness, FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen. There will be something to stand on or you will be taught to fly.”

As I find new and wonderful life in retirement, I know how true this is, and how true it has been multiple times in my life. Darkness was never the end. The ground never did come up to smash me--as low as I might have swooped. I always found myself flying as surely as the little birds did in my side yard. I give thanks to God for the wings and the updraft, especially the updraft created by friends and well-wishers in turbulent times.

Peace,

Jerry+