  For as long as I
can remember, I’ve found
the mystery of what goes
on inside or beneath the
surface of mechanical
devices incredibly compelling.
One of the early
indicators emerged when
my grandfather decided
to take me on a visit to one
of his friends. As he
opened the door to his
workshop, the expectation
of seeing farming
stuff was turned upside
down. Clocks of every
description adorned the
walls, and shelves and
metered out their "ticktock”
chorus from every
direction. I had never seen
so many clocks — big
ones, small ones, cuckoo
clocks, grandfather clocks,
chiming clocks, and alarm
clocks. It was a mesmerizing
sight, but the most
captivating part was seeing
what was beneath
their covers. Gazing at all
those sprockets and
springs felt like looking at
the wonder of life itself.
So many different
sizes, shapes, and features.
. . Some had chimes,
some displayed the current
month and day, some
had alarm bells, and the
cuckoo clocks had their
little birds. Some were big
and heavy, and others
could be worn on your
wrist or carried in your
pocket, and they were
powered in different
ways. But in spite of their
different appearances and
variety of applications,
they were all measuring
devices with one basic
function.
. . . And speaking
of measurements, we
noticed recently that
Hurricane Florence was characterized by measurements,
too. We heard
about wind velocity,
depth of storm surge,
inches of rain, speed and
direction of the storm,
property damage, and
human suffering. One
measurement that did not
make the news, but was
nonetheless real, was the
potential spiritual impact
that all storms carry with
them, especially in regard
to the matter of personal
faith. Major crises in our
lives send us searching for
what faith really is, what
it looks like with the religious
covering removed.
What does faith really
mean? How does it really
work, and what does it
actually do or not do?
Faith is one of
those religious words
employed by people in
almost every demographic,
"Christian” or not. But,
like so many virtues that
we love to talk and sing
about, faith can easily
slide into the religious
cliché category. And like
its companion concepts,
hope and love, faith is
most clearly revealed
when the superficial
packaging is removed
and we find ourselves
looking for the substance
underneath.
Life-altering challenges
can pull our cherished
religious words out
of the sanctified meeting
rooms, stirring musical
presentations, and eloquent
oratory where we
usually view them. Crises
cry out for a real life
application, and sometimes
what we’ve
always(??) been taught
doesn’t seem to fit.
For instance, faith
is sometimes packaged to
sound like some kind of
spiritual magic wand that
we can wave at God and
get things we want.
Others present faith like a
health insurance and disaster
prevention program
that will protect us from
significant loss or damage.
The more minimalist
view sees faith as little
more than an eventual fire
escape from hell with few
pragmatic benefits here
and now. Still others treat
it like a spiritual lottery
where you close your
eyes, repeat some words,
and hope you get the winning
combination. Storms
can bring the ultimate test
of what our "faith” really
means.
From God’s perspective,
faith isn’t a game
of chance or the empty
recitation of a creed, and it
isn’t a means of turning
Him into our servant. Like
the clocks in the watchmaker’s
shop, faith is expressed
and applied in
ways as individual as each
of us, but its primary purpose
in every case is to
connect us with the priceless
grace of God. God
may do wondrous things
for us, but He may also
allow things that are
painful and costly. Paul
declared faith’s vital role
like this: Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and rejoice
in hope of the glory of
God. Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV)
There’s much to
ponder about faith, but another
timepiece analogy is
worth considering. When
my daughter was about
four, someone gave her a
toy watch. The little
replica did nothing to
measure time, but she was
as proud of that watch as
if it had been a Rolex. Her
joy in showing it off didn’t
change the fact that there
was nothing going on underneath.
We don’t have to
be in a life-threatening
storm to pause, pull the
case off our "faith,” and
see if there’s anything
trustworthy inside. What a
tragedy it would be to discover
too late that the
"faith” we professed was
only a religiously approved
ornament on our
lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to being
an active writer, speaker,
teacher, and blogger, Ron
Gallagher serves in a variety
of roles as a ministry consultant
for local churches.
His Biblical insights are
coupled with down-to-earth
humor, satire, and relevant
stories aimed at promoting "Right Side Up Thinking ~
in an Upside Down World.” Ron strives to apply God’s
truth in a way that stimulates
the mind, encourages
the heart, and challenges the
cultural norm. Check out his
blog, "Gallagher’s Pen” at
www.gallagherspen.com
NEW BOOK . . .Ron’s new book, Right
Side Up Thinking in an
Upside Down World ~ Looking at the
World through the Lens
of Biblical Truth, is now
available on Amazon and
through Lighthouse Bible
Studies. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2IDsNpB |
