Christmas offers the invitation to consider faith. There is no doubt that in the western cultures with the church people will hear Christmas Carols that tell the story. Even songs like Little Drummer Boy and Do You Hear What I Hear? with no scriptural basis honor the message of the Bible that God became flesh or a human. (Yep--there is no little drummer boy in the Bible, and the lamb telling the shepherd boy that the lamb heard something is not in the Bible either.)
I think that the struggle for faith at Christmas is a valid struggle. For whatever reason, many people have a problem with faith--especially religious faith. Sometimes the struggle begins with considering what faith means in the first place.
Considering Faith
A good place to start is from Hebrews (11.1) in the Bible for a definition. It says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. A person will take as real something they hoped for and have a conviction that some things will happen (in the case of the Bible--the promises of the Bible).
I have came to view that some people will not have faith--they are always going to want to see it or have it proved to them. Miracles do not happen for these people as they are empiracists or positivistic in their thoughts.
In my life experience as a former doctoral student/candidate (with now an earned doctorate) and as a mental health professional, I had come to a view that faith begins where knowledge and fact ends. I saw that with human limitation only so much analysis can be done and figured out.
As a mental health professional, I saw that if someone is not able to have faith, they are anxious because they do not know and their lives become out of balance. They cannot accept the limits of their lives and abilities. They cannot do everything, be everywhere, and know everything. Faith is a risk and that they are not going to take that risk.
Faith Journeys
I think that faith is indeed an individual matter and a risk that we as individuals take or do not take. No one can believe for you. No one can truly make up your mind as to what you believe.
Many people were raised in a particular "faith" or "church" with its doctrinal or theological distinctives. As people go through life, this group of people will tend to compare whether or not their faith is fitting their life experience. Therefore, some people stay and some people leave.
Some people were not raised in a church. They tend to follow their parents or most influential parental figure in their paradigm or way of ordering of life. Faith just does not fit into their thinking.
Some people have experienced tragedies which make them question the order of the world and I had a number of "arguments" at college with guys who either had tragedies or just one philosophy class and said, "If God exists, then why did this happen?" I did not have a good answer--but it made me go back to the reality that faith is a personal and individual matter.
Furthermore, your expectations as to what your faith is going to do for you is another matter that could be the source of stress and struggle at Christmas. Unrealistic expectations mean frustration and worsened feelings of emptiness.
When Faith Does not Leave You Feeling Fulfilled
Some people want to feel a sense of wonder, warmth and fulfillment at Christmas in their faith. The reality is that even the Christmas Story is not going to make you feel content, warm and tingly over.
There is meaning and then there is significance. The meaning of the Christmas story is constant: God came to earth in the form of a man to save humanity from its sins. Its significance (what it does for you) will change from time to time.
Some want to re-live anticipation for the coming of the Christ Child. Some want to meet the baby in the manger all over again. Some people are looking for that shot of faith to make them feel whole and in one piece. In this case, some people may want to play Christmas music non-stop hoping that the holiday spirit and a renewed inner life happen simultaneously.
I say this at my own risk but the nativity scene or creche that many people set up in churches and homes can prove to be a worthless idol. For many people, faith stops at the image of the babe in the manger. You are not necessarily going to find God there and there is no guarantee that you will have a spiritual renewal because you have pondered upon the nativity scene.
You are not guaranteed to find God or renewal in the Christmas songs either. The religious songs are about the Christmas Story, and music can touch our emotions, but O Little Town of Bethlehem just does not connect sometimes. If you don't feel very good God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen may be hard to swallow.
I think that it is okay if you do not find a dynamic and strong sense of fulfillment and wonder at Christmas. To expect that you are going to receive spiritual renewal and a reconnection with God each and every Christmas is unrealistic.
Feelings and Faith
I think that many confuse Feelings and Faith. Feelings and faith are different. Feelings are energies that we have that motivate us to action. Faith is what we believe in and hold to. Two people can hold the same believe and have different emotions.
Considering myself a person of faith, I can say that the Christmas story has not stirred the same feelings every year. My faith is something that does not guarantee that I am going to have the same sense of fulfillment or wonder each and everyday. It took me several years to come to that conclusion and a few more to believe it was okay.
Come as You Are
Regardless of how we feel about faith this year, the best that any of can do is to come as we are to this time of year. Accepting where you are in terms of faith often means less stress.
The Christian message in the Christmas Story that gets lost is that the babe was born because people were in the dark and lost. The babe wasn't born for the people who were already perfect, but for the people with problems, issues pain and suffering. As an adult, the babe hung out with corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes and was unjustly executed between two criminals. It is not a happy story that invites struggle.
I think that the struggle for faith at Christmas is a valid struggle. For whatever reason, many people have a problem with faith--especially religious faith. Sometimes the struggle begins with considering what faith means in the first place.
Considering Faith
A good place to start is from Hebrews (11.1) in the Bible for a definition. It says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. A person will take as real something they hoped for and have a conviction that some things will happen (in the case of the Bible--the promises of the Bible).
I have came to view that some people will not have faith--they are always going to want to see it or have it proved to them. Miracles do not happen for these people as they are empiracists or positivistic in their thoughts.
In my life experience as a former doctoral student/candidate (with now an earned doctorate) and as a mental health professional, I had come to a view that faith begins where knowledge and fact ends. I saw that with human limitation only so much analysis can be done and figured out.
As a mental health professional, I saw that if someone is not able to have faith, they are anxious because they do not know and their lives become out of balance. They cannot accept the limits of their lives and abilities. They cannot do everything, be everywhere, and know everything. Faith is a risk and that they are not going to take that risk.
Faith Journeys
I think that faith is indeed an individual matter and a risk that we as individuals take or do not take. No one can believe for you. No one can truly make up your mind as to what you believe.
Many people were raised in a particular "faith" or "church" with its doctrinal or theological distinctives. As people go through life, this group of people will tend to compare whether or not their faith is fitting their life experience. Therefore, some people stay and some people leave.
Some people were not raised in a church. They tend to follow their parents or most influential parental figure in their paradigm or way of ordering of life. Faith just does not fit into their thinking.
Some people have experienced tragedies which make them question the order of the world and I had a number of "arguments" at college with guys who either had tragedies or just one philosophy class and said, "If God exists, then why did this happen?" I did not have a good answer--but it made me go back to the reality that faith is a personal and individual matter.
Furthermore, your expectations as to what your faith is going to do for you is another matter that could be the source of stress and struggle at Christmas. Unrealistic expectations mean frustration and worsened feelings of emptiness.
When Faith Does not Leave You Feeling Fulfilled
Some people want to feel a sense of wonder, warmth and fulfillment at Christmas in their faith. The reality is that even the Christmas Story is not going to make you feel content, warm and tingly over.
There is meaning and then there is significance. The meaning of the Christmas story is constant: God came to earth in the form of a man to save humanity from its sins. Its significance (what it does for you) will change from time to time.
Some want to re-live anticipation for the coming of the Christ Child. Some want to meet the baby in the manger all over again. Some people are looking for that shot of faith to make them feel whole and in one piece. In this case, some people may want to play Christmas music non-stop hoping that the holiday spirit and a renewed inner life happen simultaneously.
I say this at my own risk but the nativity scene or creche that many people set up in churches and homes can prove to be a worthless idol. For many people, faith stops at the image of the babe in the manger. You are not necessarily going to find God there and there is no guarantee that you will have a spiritual renewal because you have pondered upon the nativity scene.
You are not guaranteed to find God or renewal in the Christmas songs either. The religious songs are about the Christmas Story, and music can touch our emotions, but O Little Town of Bethlehem just does not connect sometimes. If you don't feel very good God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen may be hard to swallow.
I think that it is okay if you do not find a dynamic and strong sense of fulfillment and wonder at Christmas. To expect that you are going to receive spiritual renewal and a reconnection with God each and every Christmas is unrealistic.
Feelings and Faith
I think that many confuse Feelings and Faith. Feelings and faith are different. Feelings are energies that we have that motivate us to action. Faith is what we believe in and hold to. Two people can hold the same believe and have different emotions.
Considering myself a person of faith, I can say that the Christmas story has not stirred the same feelings every year. My faith is something that does not guarantee that I am going to have the same sense of fulfillment or wonder each and everyday. It took me several years to come to that conclusion and a few more to believe it was okay.
Come as You Are
Regardless of how we feel about faith this year, the best that any of can do is to come as we are to this time of year. Accepting where you are in terms of faith often means less stress.
The Christian message in the Christmas Story that gets lost is that the babe was born because people were in the dark and lost. The babe wasn't born for the people who were already perfect, but for the people with problems, issues pain and suffering. As an adult, the babe hung out with corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes and was unjustly executed between two criminals. It is not a happy story that invites struggle.
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