Satiation – the state of being overly full or satisfied to excess.
God has much to offer us, but if we are already full – of things of this world – then we have no room to receive.
Pilgrim Heart – Darryl Tippens
I’ve just begun to read “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller. This quote from the introduction struck a cord with me. I am one who was raised on the premise that there should be no doubts about religious beliefs or for that matter political beliefs. Keller describes both my experience and understanding about the place for doubt in one’s faith journey.
A faith without some doubts is like a human body with out antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.
Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts – not only their own but their friend’s and neighbor’s. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, … such a process will lead you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt.
Today is Blake Crockett’s 10th birthday. He is a really cool grandson. The problem is that he knows he is cool.
He went shopping for his gift with his Mimi and me today. That was even more fun because he got out of school early. Blake is a lot of fun and I hope he has had a great day.