I am married to a builder. Over the years, I’ve visited my husband’s various job sites and have seen for myself how a house is built. I’ve had the opportunity to admire the massive summer homes on hillsides to mid-sized family dwellings in new neighborhoods. Every one of these houses has one thing in common though; their foundation. Without the strong and solid materials of rebar and concrete, the builders have no chance to build because the house would have no chance of standing. Without that foundation, there are no walls and no roof. Without anything to anchor to, there is no form, and no structure.  

     Anchored Faith?

These days, it is not uncommon for me to have conversations with people about their faith. As a matter of fact, it seems that many people want me to know what they believe. I am honored when someone shares their deepest beliefs and I’ve learned to listen with respect to their ideas, notions and philosophies concerning God. 

It wasn’t long ago that I conversed with one such friend about her faith. Over the years, we’ve talked many times about faith. She is a restless soul who envies my peace and longs for her own. In the past, I’ve told her about Jesus, my source of peace. This time I asked her a point blank question, “How will you ever find peace unless you yield to God’s love?” 

She paused for quite awhile before answering and then said that she honestly does not know why she resists other than she does not believe in a who. To her, god is more like a force of nature. Her god is an amorphous, ethereal force. She added that she just can’t believe that there is a Savior for all. 

Her words made me think of the wizard in the Wizard of Oz. Behind all the smoke and the loud, boisterous voice, there was a man who was working all those gears, only he was hidden from view. Behind the ethereal force she believes in, there is also a man; the man of Jesus. She just needs to pull back the curtain to see him. 

Our conversation continued and I summed it up by saying that she’d basically answered the question as to why she resists yielding to God’s love for her. “It’s impossible to trust a notion to love you.” 

She agreed with me, but still can’t imagine herself believing in anything other than her notions. 

Although I’ve prayed for many years for this friend of mine to see the man behind her very existence, to believe in God as a Father, Redeemer, Forgiver, Comforter, and One and Only, she continues to resist. But, this does not keep me from continuing to pray for her. I still hope that one day God’s divine intervention and her free-will become harmonious with one another. 

Why bother laying a foundation? Believers already have a firm foundation laid for their faith in the Bible. There we find the materials to build our trust, our confidence and love for the unbelievers in our lives. We just never know when they will notice who our foundation is and how real he is in comparison to ethereal notions.