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The Faith Elephant

I have been blessed to be on a faith journey most of my life. I know that many of you have followed my journey, as you embark on your own. No two journeys are alike. Today before church, a friend was talking about my journey and then about Jews for Jesus. How someone who was Jewish, was overtaken by the holy spirit, not only converted, but became a leader in the church. While this isn’t my church, it is a way that the holy spirit wanted him to serve.

The more I thought about and thought about all the different religions on earth, I thought of the Blind Men and the Elephant. Imagine, like the picture, you are in a room and are blind. You reach out and hold something long, slender, and wiggly. You may think it is a snake. Imagine you are touching something a bit rough and dry, you may think it is leather. This goes on and on. In fact, you are just touching a different part of the elephant.

To me, God is like this. If you have never seen an elephant in your life and touched parts of it, how would you describe it? Could you even fathom what it is? To me, this is God. We try to understand his word. We try to understand the history of the universe. We try to follow him. But if we don’t understand what he is, we only do our best imitation. We try to imagine an elephant when we have never seen one.

After church, I was sitting with one of our pastors, talking about getting together for coffee. Two girls came up and asked him a question. They said “Who created God”. His answer, “He was always there”. This was hard for them to understand. We try as we might to put God in our terms. He is not. god didn’t create religion, we did. We created it to understand him. That is why there are so many religions on earth. It has taken me all this time to understand that divide. But does God see it that way?

“In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth” – Genesis 1:1

“The Lord says to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.” – Psalm 110:1

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” – Romans 8:29

The scriptures above are just a few examples of the nature of God that is hard to understand. In the first verse of the Bible, the Hebrew word Elohim is used, this is a plural form of God. Eloah is the singular form. So even on day 1, God is not singular like we are. Some see the father as the only part of God and are waiting for more. Some see the Father and the Son, but the Holy Spirit is a power of the first two and not part of the Godhead. Some see the Trinity as all parts of God. Some believe communion is the blood and body. Some believe the bread and wine is bread and wine and blood and body at the same time. Some believe the bread and wine symbolize the blood and the body but remain bread and wine.

There are many things I don’t know about God and Faith. I am learning every day. I know two things. First, Jesus died for my sins so I can be with the father in the next life.  Second, Jesus tells me to Love God and Love People. (Mark 12:30-31). Not just the people I like. Not just the people who agree with me. All people. I may not like them but I love them.

That’s all I need to know right now. Jesus and to love God and People.

Are you willing to see God as the Elephant we can’t understand? Are you able to love God and Love People?

I am willing with the help of God.