“For we walk by faith and not by sight.” So says the apostle Paul in 2Cor 5.7. Paul is, of course, dealing with a particular issue there in that context, but this statement is a general principle of the Christian faith that he is applying to that context. Paul is laying down the way that all Christians must walk in every area of life: by faith. Faith is relying upon what God says and having your thoughts, actions, and desires shaped according to his word. Faith is thinking Christianly.
Learning this way of life is a struggle. We have enemies within and without. Our own sin that seeks to exalt itself and our own word of authority fight submission to what God says. We hear the voices of the world echoing the words of the devil, “Has God really said?…” God’s authority is challenged in our lives at every turn. We are tempted not to listen to him and exalt our own word or the words of others above his, conforming our lives to those words.
This always leads to disastrous results. Yet, we do it time and again to our own hurt. Sometimes we might even say, “Well, I tried that (that is, walking by faith) and it didn’t work.” We act as if walking by faith and changing our lives is like working on a car engine: a few turns of a wrench, replace the filter, exchange the fuel line, or whatever and everything ought to be fixed right up. All my internal struggles with fear, doubt, shame, guilt, and things as such ought to be cured when I “try” faith. If it is not cured immediately, then I need to try another technique of faith that will cure them.
Faith is not something that is “tried” as a technique. Faith is a lifelong discipline of life. It is that commitment to God and his word that perseveres no matter how I feel or what I see happening around me. Faith is not a psychological technique to trick your brain into doing what you want it to do. Faith is a way of life; a way of loyalty to God that strives to be obedient to him. Faith is being trained by God’s word to think God’s thoughts after him; that we will think about ourselves, others, and the world around us the way God wants us to think. Faith, in short, is learning to see the world the way it really is: through God’s eyes. Faith refuses to deny reality because faith knows that reality is what God says it is. Any other type of thinking and living is denying reality and is insanity. So, faith can’t be looked upon as simply a psychological technique or a little trick to get you over your next mental hump. Faith is adjusting your thinking to what is real.
This faith–thinking Christianly–must be applied to our dealings with personal shame. We have done things that not only make us feel guilty but make us guilty before God. We have sinned. We are dirty and naked and want to hide. We have also had things done to us in word and deed that make us feel dirty. Even though these actions were done to us and not our personal sin, we have a deep sense of uncleanness and shame.
Some of us have been berated all our lives with words, telling us that we are worthless. Others of us have been physically and sexually abused and are “told” in these actions by others that we are dirty and outcasts. Jesus comes and says, “You are clean.” This good news is difficult to believe at first because it is such good news. We begin to believe it. Nevertheless, the words from our past and even our present pound upon us heavily and relentlessly like waves upon the shore. We want to continue to believe Jesus, but it isn’t working like we thought it would. We are still struggling. We are tired. The way of faith is difficult. From our present perspective, it seems that giving in would be the easiest thing to do to relieve the pressure. Believe what they say. Live my life according to their word and try to deal with this uncleanness by giving into it. So, we bury ourselves and our guilt and shame in illicit relationships, drugs, alcohol, career, climbing the social ladder to prove your worth, staying thin through anorexic or bulimic behavior, comforting ourselves through gorging food, cutting, escaping our situations, or whatever else we may try in order to deal with the shame. All of these ways may seem to be the answer. They may provide some temporary relief, but it all comes back in the morning.
Though it is a lifelong struggle, the way of faith is the only way to deal with these issues because it is only by faith that we can rightly deal with the shame. Faith looks to Jesus whose word to us is, “You are clean.” Our thinking must be conformed to that word above all words no matter how difficult it may be. This is not a technique. This is a way of life. For those who walk by faith we find that even though the struggle never completely goes away, we begin to think and live differently. We begin to see the healing power of Christ working through our lives. In the end, you and I will be healed completely. Until then we walk by faith and not by sight.
