Part XVIII— Hold Fast to Your Boundaries—The Faith

One of the classes I was required to take my freshmen year of college was entitled “What are Human Beings?” This class was mostly philosophical, designed to get us to learn about ourselves, ostensibly. One thing I remember vividly from this class was that we were forced to question every aspect of our lives. It started off with gender, and was I sure I was actually a man. The professor didn’t seem satisfied with a simple yes, or the answer that my gender was confirmed through my biology and appearance of my body. Eventually I became annoyed with having to defend something I had and have known to be true my whole life. I am a man.

The class “progressed” toward other things I needed to defend, and one of them was my Christian faith. When it came to discussing religion, I was asked if I had a faith that I identified with. When I answered that I was a Christian, I was then asked, “had I ever considered another faith, or tried another faith?” And when I answered, “no, I hadn’t, and I didn’t feel the need to,” I was told, “You are a close-minded person. Only close-minded people are unwilling to try new things.”

I quickly realized that as much as colleges said they wanted us to have an “open mind,” what they really wanted us to have was an “empty mind,” a mind that had no conviction but was open to being completely changed on questions as basic as our gender and our faith. I believe many colleges still operate like this.

There is a difference between an open mind and an empty mind. An open mind can have conviction but lack direction. An empty mind lacks both. What does that mean? I went to college positive that I was a man and a Christian. I knew I had some skills in writing and in public speaking. I liked the idea of being a teacher and a counselor. I had an open mind about career choices. While the priesthood was always tugging at my heart, I took classes in psychology, secondary education, history and political science, and considered careers in education, city management and counseling before deciding to pursue the priesthood. To me, I went to college with an open mind as far as careers were concerned. I entered college certain that I was not going to be a scientist, but open minded to various careers in the humanities. I did not, however, go to college with an empty mind. I was very sure when I entered college of my Christian faith. I was very sure of my values and boundaries. And while some of these got tested and pushed and occasionally even crossed, I exited college with the same values and faith with which I had entered, but with a more defined career path than when I had entered.

It’s not just during college that our values are challenged, or when we are called upon to be open minded, or in reality empty minded. Christians are being challenged as never before to defend our Christianity. Western society is quickly becoming anti-Christian. Perhaps because as Christians we cling to values and beliefs that are quickly becoming unpopular. Just clinging to a belief is becoming unpopular.

We live in a disposable society. If a person is still clinging to a rotary phone they used 30 years ago, the world has passed them by. People would probably laugh at them. You can’t be in a profession now without using the Internet or email. If a doctor is still trying to practice medicine the way he did 20 years ago, he’s probably out of a job. It seems that we have to adapt to many things in our world or we get left behind.

So there is a great pressure to adapt our faith to fit some societal contemporary norm of what faith is. Or even worse, for faith to be regarded like the rotary phone, something we no longer need or have a use for.

Faith is something that grounds us. Faith is not something that changes. As we read in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As Christians, we are called to believe specific things and act in specific ways. To cling to those things and to act in those ways shows conviction and faith. It doesn’t show close-mindedness which is seen as weakness.

In holding fast to boundaries, we need to cling to what we know is true as far as our faith goes, and to practice what we know is right according to our faith. The challenge is to know the faith and practice it with consistency and conviction. Otherwise, when we are challenged as to what we believe, when we don’t know what we believe, it will be very easy for our faith to be changed, even lost. We need to continually grow in our faith, so that when a storm of criticism and questionings are leveled against us, our faith is strong enough to withstand them. And when we have a strong faith, we need to have the courage of conviction to stand with a mind that is confident, not open for influence away from our faith.

There have been a few occasions in my life (and most of them happened in college) when influences around me caused me to question my faith. Thankfully, my faith is strong enough that it has survived each barrage against it. We have to know as people of faith that there will be times when our faith will come under attack, and we have to have the strength of faith and the courage to hold onto it in the face of opposition.

There is a difference between morality and righteousness. Righteousness is what is right and correct in the eyes of God. Morality is what is right is acceptable in the eyes of society. Morality changes. There are plenty of things that were immoral one hundred years ago or even twenty years ago that are perfectly acceptable today. And those who do not accept them are often criticized. Righteousness, what is right in the eyes of God, does not change. Faith should be tied to what is righteous, not what is moral. Because righteousness doesn’t change, faith shouldn’t either.

Lord, help me to be Your faithful servant. Help me to understand what is righteous in Your eyes. Help me to cling to righteousness, even when I am tempted or encouraged not to. Help me hold fast to my faith. Surround me with people who will encourage me to be faithful to You. Amen.

Hold fast to your faith and what is righteous in the eyes of God!