Willing to Believe

 

"All things are possible to him who believes."

In the Gospel according to Mark, is an incident that brings home the importance and value of our need to believe that, "with God, all things are possible."

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

Mark 9:14-24 NIV 

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 

“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. 

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” 

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

In Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV), there is an addendum that is 'like icing on a cake'.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I think most of us can relate to the paradox in the father's cry, "Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.

Those of us looking for spiritual guidance and solutions to the various aspects of life that baffle and bewilder us have a modicum of belief and faith in a power greater than ourselves. But like the child's father, we know how weak our faith is, because we have relied upon our own resources most of the time. But when we find ourself in dire straits, out comes the 'foxhole prayer', asking 'the powers that be' to grant us relief.

What a statement that makes about the condition of our heart (inner spirit)! We are so willful and self-determined, that we actually believe we are fully self-sufficient and can handle our own problems... until we can't. Life throws us a curveball that we weren't prepared for and we lose it (we freak-out).

At some point in our life, most of us will eventually take some time to realize and consider that we are not as self-sufficient as we believed ourselves to be. Perhaps we might ponder our own spiritual experiences along with the experiences other people have had. Hopefully, over time, some of us become willing to genuinely consider, believe and trust in a divine power underlying all of Creation. Some of us might even begin to call that source of 'all things seen and unseen' G-O-D. 

If we remain "willing to believe" and continue to seek to learn more about this "Creator of all things seen and unseen", we begin to have a 'spiritual awakening' that leads to an awareness of the our shortcomings and the Great Love our Creator has for us!

This does not mean that there will be no more curveballs, catastrophes, or speedbumps along the road of life. But if we are persistent and strive to live according to the design of life that 'Our Father' calls us to, we will begin to understand more as to the meaning and purpose of life individually and as part of the whole. We will not only realize the value of our life, but the value of ALL life, as we learn to love and value others - as much if not more - than we do our own existence.

PERHAPS... we might even wonder why we were so reluctant to LET GO of our preconceived notions,  and LET GOD  give our life TRUE meaning, purpose, and everlasting value. \o/