On Chinese New Year, we went to visit our pastor’s family. Pastor Samuel is passionate about the truth and getting his congregation to understand why and how Jesus is real and worthy of belief. As I’ve written before on this blog, it has been a huge struggle for me to believe this.
After dinner, instead of the planned board games, he initiated a Socratic discussion (asking and answering questions) where he asked us “who is Jesus?” Somehow we arrived on the topic of Abraham, and I realized for the first time the amount of time between promises God gave to Abraham and their fulfillments. Decades of time where Abraham wondered if he would ever see his promised descendants, let alone a single son.
Belief over time produces faith.
When I first found out I was pregnant, it was hard to believe, especially after a few emotional months of “not yet.” Those first weeks were flooded with all kinds of anxiety, but also a prayerful hope…
When I first saw my tiny baby during the 10 week ultrasound, I believed a second time. I was shocked at the stillness of the baby sleeping on its side, but heard a strong heartbeat and so I cried.
The third time, the baby lay on its back like a little cockroach, wiggling arms and legs. He was alive and moving. I believed again and cried.
These times of actually seeing how my baby was growing were spaced out by months at a time. Not as long as Abraham, but still requiring a kind of faith that the baby would continue to grow and thrive. Now I have almost daily evidence of his (yes, he’s a boy) existence through his kicks, punches, and rolls.
Belief over time produces faith.
Matthew and I have already given him Chinese and English names. The essence of his name meaning is “to understand the truth.” This is something that has been a struggle for me and one of the reasons I’ve struggled in my faith. Even with a name like that, my baby has that potential as well. But he has already helped me understand a very small truth that faith is about the experience of seeing God at work in the past and present in the hope that He will continue in the future.
Belief over time produces faith.
