I am puzzled by the difficulty some people have with the concept of faith. Coming to believe is so natural and easy that it almost seems like a non-issue to me. But for some others, it's a seemingly impassible stumbling block. And for many of those people, the more they try, the harder it gets.
The key to understanding this issue is choice. Having faith and believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a choice. We must choose to believe. And, as choices go, it is an easy one. It has no difficult or unpleasant consequences. Not, at least, for the millions of Americans of whom I'm thinking while I write this. Of course, that choice may entail bitter consequences in muslim or other religiously repressive societies. But that is not my subject today.
So, why does the easy choice to believe seem so difficult for so many? Our culture has been infected with the false notion that to be true, everything must be explained in scientific terms. And the greatest proponents of scientific supremacy are those most antagonistic toward Christianity. Consequently, many people approach the question of belief in God as they would a question of authenticating an antique. They research the historical accuracy of the scriptures. They examine the translations and fragments of ancient writings. They ponder the many philosophical proofs and refutations of religious scholars throughout the ages. They suspiciously reject all anecdotal evidence. Yet most of them secretly yearn for that blinding flash of revelation, that epiphany sweeping them off their skeptical feet and into the gentle arms of a loving God. They keep waiting, unwilling to take the leap of faith, unwilling to make the choice to believe.
But those same people do choose to believe in many things without scientific proof. For example, except in extreme circumstances, they believe that they will live another day. They have no proof of that, no scientific basis for that assumption. Yet, they believe it and live their lives accordingly. They have faith that they will survive. They choose to believe it. And, the choice to believe in God, and to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is no more difficult than that.
So my challenge to those people is this: Cast off the hubris and mockery that has kept you separated from God. Stop listening to those with an anti-God, anti-Christian agenda. Choose to believe in God and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior in the same simple, deliberate way you make the myriad of other choices in your life each day. There is no great mystery here. The first step is to make the choice to believe. All else will follow.