If I had the power to give everyone a holiday gift, I would give the gift of faith. If accepted, even just by “one tenth of one percent,” I would know that the gift I gave would rejoice with you when you are happy; sit with you when you are worried; and if you find yourself in a fox hole, I’d like to believe it would be my gift that would be the one thing that would provide you comfort.
I was speaking with my daughter’s friend the other day. This little girl has gone through a lot: the loss of her father to a horrifying disease; Hurricane Sandy, which uprooted her family; and some personal health issues. I mention her background simply because it’s important to understand what I’m going to share next. We were talking about life (as us moms sometimes do with these 10-year-olds), when she mentioned in no uncertain terms, “I am an atheist.” She went on to say: “I believe in science! You know, you seem really smart. I’m actually surprised that you believe in something like that.”
Hmmmm, I thought to myself. Something like what? What does she think I believe, simply because I believe in God? “You know, honey,” I responded. “I faced a time when my son was very ill, and the doctors and science couldn’t figure it out. At the exact same time, my husband began undergoing tests to diagnosis a rare liver disease that would later turn into an even rarer form of cancer. Science solved both these problems. So, I can certainly see why you believe in science. I do, too. The cure for my husband’s condition though—the science—well, it nearly killed him at least four times over a five-year period. It took a very long time for science to come through.
Faith is not what helped the illnesses,” I went on to say. “No way. That was pure and simply skilled surgeons, physicians and medicine—science. Faith was what helped ME. “Funny thing is, I get it. When people said to me during those turbulent times, ‘God doesn’t give us more than we can handle,’ I wanted to vomit or scream. Really? So, there’s a guy up there looking through a book saying, ‘Well, Kelly is of tough Irish and German stock. Let’s give her BOTH a sick son AND husband because, well, the lady around the block wouldn’t be able to handle it’? Likewise, it’s hard for people to believe in a God that performs selective miracles. Honestly, if there’s a God, then how the heck did those goons take down our Twin Towers???? Again, I get it. I, too, have doubts, daily, sometimes hourly. Yet, reflecting on my own experience, I know it was a MIRACLE that I didn’t just curl up in the fetal position and have a nervous breakdown. I had no answers, other than the occasional bottle of white wine (that part I didn’t share with her ☺). The only thing I had was my faith; the one thing I could call on during my darkest hours.
“So, honey, that is why I’m sad. Not because you don’t believe in God, but because you have no one to yell at, pray to, blame and thank. And nothing to call on for strength. For some, faith is a ‘maybe’; for some it’s an ‘absolute’; for some it’s a ‘revolution’ or a ‘cause’; for others, it’s a ‘less-than-one-percent chance.’ Yet, for all that have faith, it is there when they need it.
That conversation impacted me tremendously. So has December’s Awakening Humanity issue, which has some amazing articles regarding the existence of something other than ourselves, including “Near-Death Experiences” and a powerful piece by Eckhart Tolle, who is referred to as the world’s most spiritually influential person.
I like to think that December’s issue is a gift, a gift of faith. I hope you enjoy the spirit of the season—and I hope you like my gift.
