For the Joy of the Journey

Kenois – the spiritual act of pouring out oneself, of “emptying” the self of its prerogatives … the idea of relinquishment of authority, power or prerogative. Jesus stands as the supreme example of this generous act of humility.

Kenosis is achieved, not through some superhuman effort on our part, but rather in the opposite direction, in giving up and giving in to God.

Humbling oneself, forgiving others, renouncing one’s own inflated certainty (abandoning the fatal need to be right about everything), sharing our material goods, receiving criticism in humility, saying “I am sorry,” resisting our need to be first, renouncing our “rights,” our entitlements, and our prerogatives – we must practice such daily “deaths” of the self over and over again if we are to develop our pilgrim hearts.

The Pilgrim Heart – Darryl Tippens

I’ve just begun to read “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller. This quote from the introduction struck a cord with me. I am one who was raised on the premise that there should be no doubts about religious beliefs or for that matter political beliefs. Keller describes both my experience and understanding about the place for doubt in one’s faith journey.

A faith without some doubts is like a human body with out antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.

Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts – not only their own but their friend’s and neighbor’s. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, … such a process will lead you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt.