Hard Truths About Our Faith

Let's just be terrifyingly real, shall we?

Christians believe a lot of crazy things. We believe in a lot harsh and, quite frankly, some terrifying
things.

And even if we are honest, we even believe somethings we don't even like.

We believe in things we don't understand and things we can't prove. We believe in ideas and philosophies that are offensive, and we teach things that make some people mad.

And deep down, we know this. And when we get honest, our faith can make us squirm with embarrassment.

So we soften the message, explain away the hard stuff, and we think we are doing the world a favor - when the truth is the only person we are helping out is ourselves, trying to save ourselves from being humiliated by a God refuses to be reasonable.

The thing is Christianity was never about being reasonable. It was never about comfortable easy teachings and it was never about making sense or complying to the world's standards.

It is about the inexplicable, the baffling, and the awe inspiring. It is about not making sense, upsetting convention, and devastating expectations.

This is a faith whose God is found in the very center of humanity - the holy embracing the profane. A God who does not dispense mystical platitudes from an inaccessible mountain top, but rather offers forgiveness from a bloody cross.

And you know what? I think it's time we become okay with the hard parts of our faith, that we stop trying to make it more palatable, and we are honest with those who confront us about what we believe and why it doesn't make sense.

It's time we stop arguing and just agree that it is a hard teaching. Acknowledge we don't have it figured out, and be secure enough to smile about it without the fear that someone smarter than you is going to argue you out of believing.

Because that is one of the truly great things about our faith - we don't have to understand. We don't have to explain it, defend it, and we don't even need to be comfortable with it. We just have to live it, and when we do that the mystery will unfold before us - giving an understanding that exceeds all theoretical pursuits and inspiring us to delve deeper into the mysteries that can never make sense from the outside.