13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
There are two different people in this world. Well, honestly there are more but I thought a dramatic first sentence might draw more attention. Anyways, there are more than two types of people in this world, but of the plethora of people there seems to be two types of faith people. Philippians 4:13 people who see the glass as half full, might be the ones who get this verse on a bumper sticker or even tattooed if the mood strikes. While this verse is taking out of context a lot, there is a certain positive wave that many are drawn to. They have the uncanny ability to see God in everything and have the faith of a thousand Mother Teresas. These are the people of Chick Fil A who many of us outwardly despise but secretly wish we could share their outlook.
And then there are my people, the Ecclesiastes people. These are the ones who struggle to get dressed in the morning. Often times these people are halted doing a task by the nagging feeling of insignificance. “Does this really matter?” they ask. Questions of calling and purpose plague them to the point of non movement. As you can imagine, these people are a blast at parties. Turns out quoting Kierkegaard is a quick way to lose friends and alienate people. And while everyone has shades of these two faith patterns, depending on the day and life experience, we all know which one we lean towards and neither are necessarily wrong.
The truth is, Christ does give us incredible strength to handle incredible situations. It is also true that the majority of life is meaningless and sometimes things just happen. If you believe in a creator, wouldn’t it be His purpose to use these two differing ways of thought to build His kingdom? Could He possibly use all people, regardless of philosophy, for something incredible? Neither should apologize for how God and their circumstances have shaped them. We are who we are. Yet Christ wishes to grow in us a robust and dynamic faith which is both deep and hopeful. But we have to let Him invade our preference and purpose. At any given moment, we could be wrong. Lord God, overwhelm us with your identity. Give us a rich faith that both asks questions and rests in your truth.
Matt simon blog 