The Leap Out of Faith

After the crash, Sailor had a choice. She could have chosen to stay by the airplane in the dark, alone and afraid. But there was a long night ahead, and it was just going to get colder. She chose another way. Sailor climbed up a hill, and there she saw a light on the horizon. Gradually, as she made her way through the night toward the light, it grew brighter. Still, there must have been times when she could not see it. Perhaps it went out of view when she was in a ravine or behind trees or bushes, but she pressed on. Whenever she could see the light, Sailor had evidence that she was on the right path. She did not yet know precisely what that light was, but she kept walking toward it based on what she knew, trusting and hoping that she would see it again if she kept moving in the right direction. By so doing, she may have saved her life. Our lives can be like that too. There may be times when we have been hurt, when we are tired, and when our lives seem dark and cold. There may be times...

Once personal identities and entire social systems are built on top of a story, it becomes unthinkable to doubt it.    ~ Yuval Noah Harari We all remember the iconic moment when Indiana Jones faces the chasm on his search for the Holy Grail. He approaches a deep canyon with no apparent way across, but somehow he knows that if he takes a step of faith, a way will be provided. Once he steps, he discovers that a bridge was there all along, hidden via optical illusion. Ignoring the fact that he could've saved himself some heartburn by simply feeling around with his hands first, this scene is an important allegory for many things in our lives. Sometimes we can't see how things will work out, so we have to take a leap of faith. Cowardice or Courage Many people who leave their religion are accused of cowardice, of taking the easy road. And this may be true for some who fall by the wayside despite still believing. But for me and many others I know--those who left because they no longe...