What has faith got to do with Valentines day?

With the advent of a new year, one cannot help but reminisce about the old year. I would concede that it might be a little late to be reminiscing about 2005 since we are already fully into 2006. 2006 has started without my noticing.

Anyway... this is a post which I've been meaning to write for a long time but never had the guts, well here I am.

It was around about this time last year that I was caught in the throes of this very significant crush I had on this girl that I knew. I would see her regularly and unfortunately knew from the start that there was no future for us (don't ask, sometimes you just knows). It had been going on for about 3 years on and off as far as I can remember and there just didn't seem to be any light. I felt like I was in bondage.

Three years! You're probably saying, how can something like that last that long, and why didn't you do something about it. Well again, don't ask... read on and your reservations might be abated.

While I was caught in the throes of infatuation I knew that there was no moving on until I had resolution - she had no idea - and though I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no future, it's the kind of thing that one has to get "from the horses mouth". Kinda like "the car is only new if you drive it off the show room floor". These kind of things you have to know from the horses mouth.

And for those people who know me, they'll tell you it's not something I do easily.

I resolved therefore to just have it out with her, write her a little note and give her some flowers and then wait for the message I knew would come.

It is by now that you're probably wondering, what's this got to do with Faith? Well, it does in fact have everything to do with faith.

The only reason I could do something as drastic as this is just because of my faith. I could think of any number of ways this could turn out, she could even express positive interest!, or she could use it against me in a big way. However because of my faith in the Lord, I could say to him, "Lord, whatever happens, you are there and you will do what's right". You see I could trust in my God who loves me and only wants what's best for me and thus knew that whatever happened, he would be pulling the strings. I would never have done this if it wasn't for my Faith.

It must be said however, that I did not say "I can do this because God is there and it will therefore turn out alright (from a human point of view)". God does not guarantee that it will turn out alright from a purely human point of view. He does guarantee however that he is in control and that what happens is not merely a product of chaos theory but controlled by a perfectly just, loving and good, person and omnipotent, Father God

It was because of the reality of God that I could take the risk it required; if you don't think it was brave, ask the young lady concerned who's message in response contained "You're a very brave and romantic man".

The life of faith is not merely a life which strives to obey the bible and God's word contained there in. There life of faith is one full of risk - full of risk only because we cannot see from God's point of view The Christian life is not supposed to be one where the Christian lives in a cocoon of bible reading and prayer (while these may be important), it is a life of faith where great risks are taken for the sake of the Gospel, and that includes but is not limited to, for the sake of personal growth. Did my risk have a gospel element? Absolutely... because I took a risk based on the fact that God is there and it worked out. This is what the epistle writers mean when they talk about a faith that is refined through trials.

As Christians we need to be "testing" God. Now I know that "testing" God, ever since the temptation of Jesus has had a bad name but I'm not sure how else to put it. What I'm suggesting is that we need to be staking our lives, what we do, think, and say, on the axiom that God is there and that he will do what is right and "test" this fact. Not because we wish it to fail, but because it WILL succeed! How many times has God failed me? Not once - he has given me absolutely no evidence that he is not unequivocally trustworthy and incontestably faithful. How many times have I given him the opportunity to once again prove he is faithful? Not half as many times as I should.

Why do people engage in extreme sports? It's because of the excitement that comes with the danger that they are exposed to. However, the risks involved when jumping out of a plane or bungeeing off a bridge pale into insignificance when compared to the risk (and thus excitement) involved when we begin to share Christ at our place of work or if we offer to help at the soup kitchen for the homeless down the road.

And in conclusion, what has valentines day got to do with it? It happens to be the day last year on which I took that risk and opened my heart. I wish I would trust God like that more.