Faith vs Fantasy

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Faith vs Fantasy
Rev. Henry Williams, Jr.

At the core of every person’s religion is his or her own evaluation of their faith.  Even if a person chooses not to believe the existence of God, their unbelief still encompasses a body of faith that is sustained by belief without seeing.  As human beings, our lives are governed by the unseen that is associated with the possibilities of projected events.  We are always seeking to advance and evolve socially, economically and, more importantly, spiritually.  It is the projections of the things hoped for, or the future vision of a better quality of life, that stimulates our motivation to keep moving forward. In the year 1956, Doris Day sung a song in the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, which uttered the line, “Que Sera Sera (Whatever will be, will be). The future is not ours to see, que sera sera”.  Truly, the song spoke volumes to us not seeing, but yet striving to believe, while resolving the future to be out of our control.

In our yearning to not fear the future, we settle into a system of comfort in the present, while still looking toward the future.  Therefore, it is in that future gazing that we must reconcile within us: is it in our faith or is it just a fantasy we have projected in our minds?  The Bible, along with other religious books of the Abrahamic origin, teaches that we as people were created in the “image of God”.  However, the question is, were we created in God’s image or did we create Him in our own image (ination)?  Where is faith and where are future projections in our imagination?

Because of the rising everyday life challenges that are knocking on our doors, we must be careful not to substitute our faith in God with the fantasies of our desires.  Faith is directed toward trust and assurance in the willingness and ability of an Authority that goes beyond our comprehension.  Where fantasy ends, faith begins.

In conclusion, people of faith must always seek the decrees of Him who has destined the future, that we might understand the plan of our future.  In understanding the consummate plan, our faith is not altered by our ever changing minds.

Pastor Williams welcomes comments and inquiries at [email protected].