Have some Faith and pass the Cream

Growing up we lived with my Grandparents for a while. They lived on a farm in Missouri. It was actually a wonderful place for a young boy to experience life. Rummaging through an old barn, playing in the hay loft or exploring the woods I was always content. No need for video games or even playmates there was always an adventure and many lessons to learn if you were attentive to the world around you.

We also had dairy cows that were milked each morning and night. Which also meant we had fresh milk in the fridge at all times. This milk was very different than the milk my children drink today. After sitting in the fridge the cream would rise to the top of the milk. You could either stir it up or skim it off the top, but left alone the cream and milk would separate even though they were in the same glass jar. 

Today I realized faith and religion are very similar to cream and milk. You can mix the two together and while similar they tend to want to separate themselves. Let me explain.

I have listened to my self and others for years talk about the difference between faith and religion and have know they are different but have not always been able to articulate that difference. Today I believe they are very different. They can coexist but it is important to understand the difference.

The Apostle Paul calls us to "live by faith not by sight". Religion tends to give us a visible road map we can follow. Faith calls us "to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Religion calls us to plans and processes that have shown they will work.

Seth Godin says it this way in his book Tribes. "Religion at its best is sort of a mantra, a subtle but consistent reminder that belief is okay, and that faith is the way to get where you are going. Religion at it's worst reinforces the status quo, often at the expense of our faith."

Those words jumped off the page at me. Go back and read his quote again. Religion is in no way bad, unless it gets in the way of faith. I believe in my own life and what I have seen in the lives of others, our religion often does get in the way of our faith. The church today does not need any more religion. She needs more faith. Jesus was  first and foremost a man of great faith. He pushed the envelope, he challenged the status quo and pushed back on the religious leaders of his day. He refused to settle, he hoped for what was not seen and he knew God had more to offer his people. 

Faith always leads to hope and it overcomes fear. If there was ever a time in our world that people needed to experience more hope and less fear it is now. So go skim some faith off the top of your religion and lets be the body of Christ to the world around us.

Peace, todd