The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

It’s our nature to pay attention to the latest interesting news or fad. If it is something out of the ordinary, something beyond our everyday activity, we are naturally drawn toward it. Such is the case with a small collection of sea shells in the flowerbeds. I don’t recall how it is we came to have so many shells, particularly in land-locked northeast Colorado, but they are a wonder and a mystery for those of us who seldom experience large bodies of water, let alone whole seas and oceans.

It is precisely because we can’t walk out our door and pick up shells at will that greater value is imparted to them. In a location such as ours they are rare, intrinsic finds whose values rise accordingly. We are captivated by the intricate designs, the colors and shapes, and the mystery of exploring a different world representing the animals which occupied the shells. But were we to live on a coastal area known for its shells, they would be rather pedestrian, barely warranting a second glance.

Faith becomes sluggish when we take its beauty and intricacies for granted. What has always seemed a part of our life in its many forms may represent have high intrinsic value for others to whom it appears fresh and new. Our spiritual lethargy becomes a stumbling block for expressions of thankfulness for gifts given.

As we look to the shells of faith we have to offer others, we ought to consider how they appear to one who yet searches. We must be willing to acknowledge that the most valued shells in our collection may not be the same shells others would keep or admire. If they pause, pick up a shell, then cast it aside, who are we to protest? The fact that the shell even caught their eye should be cause for celebration.

In our headlong pursuit of religious validation, we end up finding many ways to support our own collection of religious beliefs, declaring them better than the collections of others and crowing about it so that people will notice. Beauty, however, is in the eye of the beachcomber. The brand of faith one group espouses should not be the benchmark for all others.

In the lengthy discourses which set the book of John apart from the synoptic gospels, Jesus’ views are expressed by the writer. “I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda.

“I came with the authority of my [divine parent], and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome them with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?” (John 5:41-44 MSG)

Faith isn’t about hey-look-at-me recognition or making comparisons regarding who with the greatest authority, all the while chasing after the latest largest brightest collection of theological baubles and trinkets. It’s about appreciating the beauty of our own faith in relationship to The Divine and never taking it for granted. Keep searching for the shell that by its beauty makes your soul sing. That’s the very one you should keep.