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

Early morning haze and the specter of rising humidity accompanied morning coffee this week. It felt the same as in the past, yet differences were apparent. It had been over five years since our last visit to some favorite Flint Hills fishing ponds. Busy schedules and busy lives took much of the blame but little of the responsibility. That belonged to us.

It’s a pattern familiar to many; places visited, richness gained, declarations to return soon, and always the perception that there was plenty of time to do so. Life’s timeline, we presumed, was ample enough to accommodate all our past, present, and future adventures. What luxury to consider such possibility as true!

In this uncertain world, possibility is a relative term. About the time we realize what we imagine to be true, reality discovers us in all our weakness, reorienting us in surprising ways that are sometimes helpful and other times not. It is part of growing up whole, both process and journey. Living with that certainty is something we must learn in order to thrive. The good news is that we are not alone, nor are we without resources.

We are enamored with telling others “the truth” because we understand our perceptions of it are not only correct but nearly inviolable. We believe ourselves fully informed when, in reality, we are as lost in the fog as the next person. But isn’t faith in God supposed to take care of all that? What good is being a major world religion if we don’t have all the answers? There are plenty who insist that every religion is suspect and the most obvious truth is that truth stands naked before us. Are we willing to see truth when it finds us?

Many elements of spiritual truth visit and revisit us throughout our lifetime. What was clear and meaningful, a faith conviction from years prior, suddenly reveals itself in unexpected ways. That can be quite unsettling to our comfortable easy chair faith, the kind that has been in the same place in the same corner of a dimly lit room for decades, heavy drapes pulled only partially aside. How do we relearn how to learn? It is not an easy task to illuminate faith that has been stubbornly immovable for generations.

Entertain your faith with the openness and wonder of a child whose life is full-to-the-brim with questions. Ask questions frequently but discipline yourself to be a patient listener for replies that truly make sense. Nothing is more dangerous that wrote-answer religion. Test your religious growth moments in community, without hesitation. If your faith is borne only of fear, then it is time to consider a new path that showcases the wonders of spiritual wholeness rather than unbridled despair.

What questions should be asked? Begin with oral histories and writings. Who are the authors? Toward what purposes were they written? To whose benefit do they accrue? What was the culture of the time including political, sociological, and public health standards and concerns? How do the scriptures sync with today’s world? To extend such inquiry is to begin the relearning process. It might have been a long time since previous visits so don’t be surprised if the landscape has changed. I would guess the fish are still biting.