A Leap of Faith
Words by Mia Sutton, Story Editor
Any "The Office" nerds out there? Every time I think of the word faith, I immediately think of Andy Bernard and Here Comes Treble.
But anyway, I want to know what comes to mind when YOU think about faith. What does it mean to you? How does it (or doesn't it) impact your life? Does it have to do with your religion?
I also know that some of you do not subscribe to any kind of religion or church and I want you to know that faith can mean more than that. You can have faith in yourself or the goodness of humanity or faith in your marriage or relationship, etc. Or maybe you are finding faith lacking in your life completely and that's totally real and OK too.
Because it’s so nuanced, faith felt like a great topic to address inside Illuminate, our writing community. We asked our Illuminate members to write about faith this month, and below you’ll find a roundup of their take on this subject. We hope you’ll visit each post and maybe even meet your new favorite writer.
Opening Up to Faith by Amy Clark
I'm told that faith is about stepping out before you have all the evidence in front of you, and trusting that it will appear. I heard a sermon once in church where the pastor talked about the Israelites, and how the Jordan River didn't allow them across until they stepped foot into it. They basically had to just trust that they weren't going to drown. That's some serious faith. And this is the kind of faith we are told we are supposed to have.
Faith by Amy Rich
Faith is not something I am good at. I have been bumped and bruised at every turn for the last two years and I cannot get out from under the constant feeling of drowning. Drowning in a sea of self-doubt, evil thoughts, hatred, and emotional disconnect from everything.
Something to Believe In by Sarah Hartley
You see, Kindred started because I had lost faith in myself. I was pregnant with Henry and absolutely miserable. I hated nearly every moment of those 9 months. Being sick for 9 months straight will do that to a person. And through the haze of morning sickness I started to write on this concept of feeling like there was something wrong with me, that I was broken, because the media had lead me to believe that I would love pregnancy. That I would feel as if I was glowing and that my unborn child and myself would bond in those 9 months. None of that rang true for me. So I struggled.
Making Sense of Faith by Adeola Sheehy
Jesus I could get behind, the church itself not so much. I tried my hardest and in catechism classes while everyone else sat obediently, their minds drifting, I was alert and asking questions. I wanted to understand, to make sense of the dichotomies and contradictions, but apparently those sessions were not the right place for that and I was asked to leave.
Pesticides and Jesus by Liz Russell
I was only a few short weeks into homesteading when I learned why both pesticides and Jesus ended up on farms with such frequency. As I fought my own battle, I wondered which I would be needing on this farm going forward.
losing my religion. by Eunice Brownlee
I was 13 the first time I questioned my faith. The previous year, I had spent several months in confirmation classes learning all about the origins of the faith I had been raised in. Like a good student, I took notes and memorized the Apostle’s Creed, among other things. My friends and I would sneak into the church kitchen to snack on the little tablets of shortbread that our church used for communion, not recognizing the irony of us noshing on those sweet little squares as nothing more than a treat because it was outside of the context we were learning in the Sunday school room upstairs.
Indian Lilac Brings Me Home: Reflections On Relationships by Laci Hoyt
I’ve been thinking about this theme for two months now, asking myself what, if anything, I have to say on the subject. In all honesty, I haven’t come up with much in the near 60 days I’ve had to ponder this. But as I stood in the shower today, letting the hot water wrap me in an envelope of wet warmth, the smell of Indian lilac filling my nose and bringing me back into myself, the first thing that settled in my mind was about faith in relationships.
Twinkling Lights of Faith by Mia Sutton
I'm shifting nervously in my seat. I haven't been to church in YEARS. It's Christmas Eve in 2019 and I'm attending service with my family. My mother-in-law invited us and told us all how important it was to her that we attend. My first instinct is to always say no. To politely decline and shake off the uncomfortable restraints I feel when I think of the words church, religion, faith. But we decide to go. It's one night, I think to myself.
Knowing what I know now, it was meant to be.
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