"The thing I have to work on in myself is this issue of belief. Gandhi believed Jesus when He said turn the other cheek. Gandhi brought down the British Empire, deeply injured the caste system, and changed the world. Mother Teresa believed Jesus when He said everybody was priceless, even the ugly ones, the smelly ones, and Mother Teresa changed the world by showing them that a human being can be selfless....But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs something. And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them. It is so, so cumbersome to believe anything....
What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do."
Donald Miller, excerpt from Blue Like Jazz
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8 comments:
What a book. Amen to that.
Indeed.
How true that is. That's on my list of books to read. It sounds like a good one!
Very true...
I need to work on truly "owning" what I believe.
Susanne, it really is.
Kddub, same here.
This is probably the most common theme running beneath the surface of whatever I say in Sunday school. It's not enough to simply believe. A belief that doesn't change who you are and what you do is not a belief at all.
Too many of us sneak under the radar at church because nobody requires us to live out what we say we believe. On the other hand, living out my beliefs means I can't obnoxiously insist on you behaving in a certain way. We each need to learn this "believe-then-do" truth for ourselves.
For some reason this post really stuck in my head, and I've been thinking about it a lot.
I am doing a bible study on Saul/ Paul. We are at the part of his conversion, when he's blinded then given sight. Everyone wanted to kill him, but he REALLY knew what he believed in and was not swayed at all in preaching Jesus as the son of God.
I wonder if it's possible to have dramatic beliefs without a dramatic experience to push you into that realm of unabashed belief?
Good question. Paul definitely had a dramatic conversion experience that led to unwavering beliefs in a tumultuous time. And that led to actions that accounted for his belief.
I'm not sure that strong convictions are always a result of a dramatic conversion or experience. I think the "amount" of faith, or the strength of belief, is obtained (or received) by each person in a different way. Through a different set of experiences and challenges. Sometimes its a long process yielding more and more fruit (actions) along the way. And then you realize that your belief in something is stronger than you knew, even though there were sometimes doubts and uncertainties along the way.
Hmmm...ponder on this, I shall. =-)
This quote has stuck with me, too. I can't seem to get it out of the head.
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