Why do we believe what we believe?

    Why do we believe what we believe?  How did you decide what to believe about politics, religion, humanity, science, existence?  Did someone comment on your Facebook post and tell you the right way to vote?  Do you go to church every Sunday because it's what all your friends do?  Do you get angry when people disagree with you or have opposing views?  Why?  How did we come to believe in the ideas that we have about how the world works, and why do we get so upset when people don't see the world like we do?

    I read a lot of books, and my favorite books over the past few years have been the "self-help" or "personal growth" books, mostly written by psychologists or spiritual leaders.  The books that inspire, motivate, and challenge me.  My sister gave me a book for Christmas last year: To Shake the Sleeping Self  by Jedidiah Jenkins.  Typically, I would have finished a book like that in a week or two, but it took months and months for me to get through it.  Jenkins wrote it as a memoir for his brave journey from Oregon to Patagonia on a bicycle, but it was so much more than the exciting adventure I thought I was going to live vicariously through him.  This guy made me uncomfortable. 

    There were moments where I wanted to put the book down and never pick it back up.  There were moments where I cringed at the thought of experiencing what he did.  But the most difficult part about reading his book was feeling him wrestle with his faith.  Because as he wrestled with what he believed, I suddenly felt like he was challenging what I believe.  And each time he faced those moments, I felt threatened.  I wanted to put down the book and put up a defensive wall.  I wanted to be frustrated with him, and I wanted to turn it into a conviction: "God doesn't want me to read this book because it's making me question him."  However, that was so opposite of the truth.

    When I finally finished the book, I was thankful for Jenkins and the way that he so openly and vulnerably wrestled with what he believes and why.  Because he challenged me to do the same.  As human beings, our nature is to surround ourselves with people who look, act, and think like us.  We desire acceptance and approval more than anything.  We want to be right.  And not only that, but we want everyone to agree that we are right.  We want our way to be the best way.  We are so quick to reject push-back or criticism because it makes us second guess ourselves.  It makes us feel uncomfortable.  It makes us angry and defensive.  Why?

    If we constantly surround ourselves with people who agree with us, do our beliefs still have meaning?  I'm not saying that all of your friends should be people who disagree with you.  We are created for community, and it's good to have people in our lives who support and encourage us.  But if the majority of our friends look, act, and think the same way that we do, how will any of us grow?  If we have faith in Jesus, and we get scared when people question or challenge what we believe, how strong is our faith?  Do we really trust God? Are we scared that our atheist friend will prove us wrong or convince us to change our minds?  Same goes for my friends who don't believe in God at all: why do you make fun of people for having faith in something?  Why do you get angry when people believe in something that defies logic?  There are plenty of phenomena in this life that we simply cannot understand or explain, so why is the Bible- the Old Testament stories, the miracles of Jesus, the age of the earth- any different?  

We are all prideful beings.  We want to protect ourselves, especially the parts of us that form our identity.  But wouldn't our faith mean so much more if we were able to receive that push-back and those questions and willingly engage?  Not to prove a point, or defend our faith, or speak condescendingly to people, but to challenge ourselves.  To remember why we believe what we do.

I don't know about you, but I didn't become a Christian because someone convinced me that it was the most logical thing.  I don't believe in God because of a comment thread on Facebook.  I have faith because God has showed up in my life when I was at a breaking point.  God's Word has comforted me in moments of depression, anxiety, panic, and confusion.  God has spoken to me through the people around me, and He has spoken to others through me.  Are there passages of scripture that still make no sense to me?  Absolutely.  Are there moments where I question if God is really there?  So often.  But those things don't scare me because God has always been faithful in my life.  He has always been with me, and He always will be.  

    Faith isn't supposed to make sense. We get so intimidated when we don't know the answer to something, but no one has all the answers.  It's not my job to convince everyone to agree with me.  It's my responsibility to share my story and invite people into it.  It's easy for me to stand up and talk about my faith in a room full of like-minded people, but if you asked me to sit down with three of my atheist friends and talk about the Bible, I would be uncomfortable.  I would feel unqualified.

    But I want to change that.  I want to be comfortable talking openly about what I believe with people who disagree.  I want to be more confident in what I believe, even when I don't know the answer to every question.  Because when we are challenged, our faith begins to grow.  We begin to grow.  In the hard moments.  In the moments of confusion.  In the awkward, or maybe even embarrassing moments.  Because that's where we are compelled to think for ourselves.  That's where we see the Spirit move.  That's where God's power is at work.  That's where we come to understand why we believe what we believe.