The “I” in Faith 

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs on your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

We often hear the saying, “There is no “I” in team.” The thought conveys that the performance of the team is more important than the performance of an individual team member. Sometimes, what one must do to make his or her team successful is not that which will bring the most glory to the individual. Likewise, one of the most common setbacks for team success occurs when individuals perform in selfish ways that hurt the team. We say, “He (or she) is not a team player.”

Having faith, however, is not a team sport – having faith is an individual decision. While people often give credit to others for instilling a strong faith in them, faith can only take hold when a person makes a personal decision to believe. For example, I could easily say my faith was handed down to me from my grandparents, through my parents. Although my parents and grandparents were people of strong faith, my decision to believe – to develop a faith of my own – had to be mine. Furniture, property, pictures, life stories, and life lessons can be passed from generation to generation. Examples of lives of strong faith can serve as models, but for me to be faithful, I must decide to have faith.

So what, exactly, does it mean to have faith? Among the dictionary definitions are “confidence or trust in a person or thing” and “belief that is not based on proof.” For me, faith is a decision to believe there are forces at work that I cannot see, touch, hear, smell, or fully understand. For example, I do not understand electricity, but I use and rely on it all day, every day. I do not understand how the earth remains in its orbit around the sun, but every morning I believe the sun will rise. Having faith in a person or thing means we do not have to micromanage, or otherwise be in charge of or worry about them. We trust their functional design or their good intentions or their competence, and we rely on them – our faith instills confidence in their dependability.

Because faith is an individual decision, we can choose to have faith in different things and/or people, not all of which will be beneficial to us. Having faith establishes a connection that empowers both ends, meaning both the believer and the believed in. Once we believe in a benevolent God, we acknowledge and empower our connection with God and begin to see evidence of God working in our lives. Until, however, we establish that connection – develop that faith – we cannot see the evidence. If we chose to believe life is a random series of unrelated events, however, we establish a connection that will provide evidence for our faith in the chaotic nature of life. The choice is ours. And our choices impact how we experience life. Faith is not just about church, but about life.

Come home to church this Sunday. The choice for a life of faith is yours.