The Practice of ‘Impossible’ Faith

IMPOSSIBLE faith is practiced in such a way as to hold a dream in the vision of the mind and simultaneously, each day, let go of that dream.

Such a faith is audacious, because, as life throws us its own curve balls, we’re ready with a curve ball of our own — we hold to the promises God’s locked into our hearts, yet, for the sanctity of the day, we let it go.

We watch it float into the ether, but we remember that in the ether it’s still there floating.

Faith is that ability to hold on and to let go at the very same time.  Little wonder that those who are spiritually blind can’t see that as the most viable and vibrant way to live.

It seems absolutely dichotomous.

But, truly, faith is the constant practice of impossibility; the holding of discrete tensions — the dream held close and clung to, deep in the heart, which is the long-term picture, yet held so lightly as to let go of that dream, trusting God, each day, each moment.

Faith says, “I believe this will occur, and I believe so strongly that it will come to be, without any concern or worry from me.”

Impossible faith suggests that the discrete tensions are pushed into febrile extremes: the vision that God cast long ago to be held safely in the heart; that dream is believed most fiercely — the more, the better.  Yet, at the very same time the holding on to that dream in the immediacy of the moment is seen for the folly it is.  It could only tear us apart.  So we let go.

We cannot hold God to ransom; if he is to deliver upon the dream, we must give him space and time and the continuity of his Sovereign nature to do just that thing, in his way and timing.

***

Faith is the indispensable instrument for succeeding in this mysterious life.  Through faith comes peace, hope and joy and capacity for love.  But we can only enjoy the benefits of faith if we hold two tensions apart and together at the same time. 

We hold the fact that life is inscrutable in the one hand, with the hopes and dreams we have in the other.  We exist peaceably in the reality of the one, which seems against the flow of our dreams, whilst holding onto the vision that God tells us not to let go of.

We exist in joy, knowing that faith is impossible, and because faith is impossible, we can hold those two tensions perfectly.

So, faith is able to hold things in the heart and the mind; the longer term dreams in the heart, with the reality of the day in the mind.

© 2016 Steve Wickham.