Written on the 30th of September 2009

The View of Faith

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

Considering that we are in a rather special time, sometimes not very easy to live, -the time of generalized disbelief-, I propose you to share with me what came to me on this subject.

Of course it is not a biblical text, but a simple thought developed, hoping that it will find in you a favourable response, and especially as a “help” in relation to things concerning faith.

May this document help us on this current problem that has become the world problem, that of unbelief, as well as the solution to this problem : the faith.

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Faith is first of all a gift from God. It is not man who creates faith in himself, but it is God who gives it freely; then man either uses it or does not use it.

Indeed, when we were toddlers we had a very simple faith, but it was faith. But by I don’t know what mystery faith became little by little hope, to pass to a kind of “science of things; religious research“, and so on…

Nevertheless it is foreseen that the faith that is given to us, is given in order to go in the direction of the One who gave it: the Father; and especially towards his Son who was sent to us: Jesus, the Son of man being at the same time Son of God.

Indeed, we needed a “son of man“, -near to men-, so that we could know our Father of us all.

Then comes the time of “religions“, and then what was pure faith becomes surprisingly mysterious. Mystery of this, mystery of that.

But do you think that the one who has faith in him, needs to be fed with mysteries?

I don’t think so.

The believer needs to be fed with things that concern faith. Faith alone, and not the faith that says: “Here we believe in this and that“; that is to say, believing in some kind of precepts or elements being added to the pure faith that alone links us to God.

However, the Scripture clearly says that our faith is made to go towards the One who came to save men: Jesus.

(Translation of Jesus: Savior)

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In fact, faith sees. It sees what the human eye does not see.

So I invite you to read this little document below talking about these things.

Enjoy your reading!

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There are times in life, when we are confronted with a vision problem, with a present ocular difficulty: We don’t see well, we don’t grasp well.

So our natural reflex is to move our eyes from bottom to top and inversely, opening them wide, to check that everything is working well.

When it still goes on a bit, generally we go to the bathroom and we rinse the eyes; and if it is still not good, we put in addition some drops of eyewash. And in general it goes away.

But sometimes it doesn’t go away, and since it’s a bit worrying, we go see an eye doctor. Sometimes he says it’s due to a temporary fatigue, and sometimes he diagnoses something abnormal. Then he gives us a prescription and usually the problem is solved.

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Brothers and sisters, it is the same for us: We sometimes have eyesight problems.

Let’s take the example of someone who works all day inside a room without any outside windows, like a secretary or an accountant in a large institution : When it’s time for the end of the day, he puts his things away, gets dressed, goes down the stairs, opens the exit door and there, suddenly in front of him, is the long, open countryside, with woods in the background and mountains as far as the eye can see.

Then brusquely he closes his eyes, puts his hands on his eyelids as a cap, and, after having made his eyes work in all directions, he tries to get used to this new notion of distance and size.

Why does this happen? It happens because of the long time spent in an interior with no outside windows, which normally allows the brain to keep this notion of distance and size.

That’s it. It’s not serious, it just takes time to get used to it again in such a case.

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We too have eyesight problems. But for us, true sight is the sight of faith.

 

What happens in this case? It happens that our sight has become accustomed to seeing up close; and as up close we see well and precisely, then naturally we create boundaries that we must not exceed, limits that in the end we will accept as “reasonable limits“. A normality.

 

But sometimes it happens that we have to stare far ahead in order to see a much larger area. Then, as our eyesight has become accustomed to seeing only up close, we have problems of evaluation, understanding disorders, inner discomforts that we cannot define exactly.

 

In this case it is not a disease, but a bad habit that has been formed.

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So I propose you what I have learned :

Learning to see.

Learning to see by faith.

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Let’s take an example: Take a seed of wheat.

Let’s look at it from all angles. It is not very complicated because its forms are not very complicated. After this examination we have acquired a notion.

Which one?

That of knowing what is a seed of wheat.

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Now let’s put the seed on a table and look at it.

 

It is indeed it, but seen from a slightly greater distance.

At this point, do we ask ourselves if it is really the seed of wheat that we had in our hand?

No, of course not!

So what do we see? “Still the same old seed of wheat, of course,” a normal person would say.

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Now let’s go a little further, because I think everyone knows more or less the laws of nature. Let’s take this grain of wheat and put it in a small pot filled with soil. Then let’s cover it with soil and water the soil a bit.

What do you see?

Do you still see the seed of wheat?

“No,” someone will say. “I can’t see the seed of wheat anymore because it’s in the ground. It’s covered, so it’s out of my sight. »

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But if I were to ask you now to change your “organ of view” and tell me what the view of faith shows you, what would you tell me that you see?

Certainly you would answer me: “I see like a little grass coming out of the pot“.

– “Oh, really! Are you sure?“

– “Yes, my faith sees the grass well, although I no longer see the seed since it is in the ground“.

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And if in 8 days I asked you the same question while the seed is still in the ground, what would you answer through faith?

– “I see a beautiful stem coming out, and even I can almost see any ramifications“.

– “Ah that’s excellent!” I would say to you.

But if now I take the soil that is in the pot with the seed, and place it in a small corner of your garden, what would you say to me that you see now?

– “I see…, I see…, I see… wait a little until I get used to it… let my eyes get used to it…

Oh yes, I see a beautiful wheat sheaf“.

– “Beautiful!”

But let’s go a little further if you want: I take this same soil with the seed, and I put the whole thing in a field, what would you say that you see now?

– “Wooooow! Slowly please! Now it’s getting harder to see.

Wait a minute, I have to concentrate…

But yes, that’s it: I see a big field of wheat, very green“.

– “Oh, well! But don’t you see anything else? »

– “Wait a minute…Staring hard with faith, I see that from green it turns to light brown“.

–“Very well ! But doesn’t your faith show you anything else” ?

– “Yes indeed, now that my eyesight has become accustomed, I can see, hanging all around the stems, lots of little seeds! It looks like many more seeds of wheat. »

– “Wow ! But how do you do it?

Because all you have in front of you is a pot of soil…

How do you see all these beauties“?

–“It is probably because I have become accustomed to seeing in a different way, knowing the normal and natural principles of reproduction, having also let my eyes get used to seeing both far and near.

It’s a new notion, I admit it.

– “But, in this case, can you see even further“?

– “Yes, no doubt, but wait a bit anyway, for I must ask Faith to kindly increase his powers of sight, for already I had become accustomed to this one distance and size, by the time we were talking and chatting.

And it’s true that you quickly get used to these new dimensions, especially when you chat.

Ah, indeed now it is better; I can see something else: I see a lot of sun; I see men, harvesters who enter the field, who cut the wheat and then pick it all up.

But wait, now that faith has become accustomed, I see big machines that take away the bales. I also see big grain silos“!

– “Oh, really! That much?

But where is the initial seed“?

– “I don’t know“…

–“But tell me, do you think it was it who created all the other seeds? And how can you be sure ?“

– “I just know it; the same way I know everything that happened before” !

Before it was alone and now there are many“!!!

– “But then, if you can see in such a prodigious way, what else do you see“?

– “I also see a mill. I also see sacks and sacks of flour, many sacks“!

– “But what else?“

– “I see the sacks of flour arriving in a big factory, where it is processed“.

–“What else“?

– “I see a bakery, a baker kneading dough, made with flour“.

–“This is incredible! But where is the seed“?

– “Honestly, I haven’t asked myself this question for a while now”…

–“But in this case, tell me what else you see with your so special sight”…?

– “I see pieces of dough go into an oven, then come out nice and brown, nice and crispy; and even now my sight of faith has developed another function: I smell; I smell the fragrance of good bread ! »

– “Oh ! It makes my mouth water“.

– “Yes you can, because I also see many people rejoicing over this famous bread“.

– “But don’t they ask themselves the question of the initial seed“?

– “Certainly not! Them, they eat“.

– “Don’t you see anything else, yet“?

– “No… No…!

But, wait, I think I do see something indeed. Oh, but it’s very blurry.

Just wait until faith gets used to it…

Yes I see, but… Oh how strange, I see something strange, I don’t understand“.

– “What else do you see“?

– “I see… I see a big table. There are people all around. They look serious, thoughtful.

Ah, I see better now. One of them takes the bread. »

–“But what exactly does he do? »

– “Ah yes, that’s it, I perceive what he does: He breaks it; he breaks the bread; he takes a piece and passes it to the others.

How strange” !

– “But what else?“

– “Now I see them all, with their heads a little lowered, I don’t know why, and they eat their piece of bread together“.

– “But what does that mean?

– “Wait, I’m beginning to understand. I see one, then two, then three, starting to talk out loud.

That’s it, my faith has received another organ, hearing. I hear them, they pray.

Oh ! How beautiful is what they say ! Now I understand everything“.

– “But what do you understand” ?

– “I understand that it only took one seed, and then to be put in the ground by faith, so that millions of people can eat giving thanks to God now.

This is what faith sees now, since it has become accustomed to seeing further and further away“.

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I hope I have given you the desire to see better, brothers and sisters; to see differently and greatly.

JeanP