Luis says, “that certainty is the opposite of faith.” My mind wandered around his words this morning and settled on the fact that the Bible doesn’t mention the discussions Jesus had with his family when he ventured out to begin his ministry. Before he left he was a tradesman – a carpenter. He probably had a family home, friends, and perhaps a wife. He left certainty for faith. I think we would have benefited from having some understanding of those inner struggles he had to leave it all for what he thought he was meant to do. This is a struggle we all share.
I’ve always been amazed at the image of Peter, Paul, James, and John walking away from their nets. Don’t you imagine there was at least some discussion with their spouses or friends that began with words like, “You’re doing what?”
I can’t imagine that the struggles and conversations Jesus and the disciples had are much different, than what each of us have today with family, friends, and ourselves. Whether the leap from certainty to faith is about our trade, our security, or our relationship with another, the words “have faith” are much easier said than acted upon.
But like Jesus, like his disciples, God calls us out of our small lives. Impossible as it seems, he reaches out his all-powerful hand and touches each of us, awakening our hearts, our minds, and our spirits. He gives us dreams and visions that burns the scales from our eyes. He calls us all to faith.
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