What is the Cost of Belief?

There are multitudes of Christians on Earth who know the need for God---especially in today's superficial world. But many Christians suffer greatly because of their Faith.

What is the cost of your personal Christian belief? Many of us say we're Christian, that we believe in God. We hold to that belief, even when some trash Christianity, personally maligning those who believe.

But think about this: To be different is a difficult state of affairs for many. Maybe those so opposed to Christianity are really not opposed at all, but only hold back because they're afraid of rejection by their peers.

Of those who malign Christians, could it be that a belief in Jesus Christ sets them apart from others where they don't want to be? Or that belief in God puts them in a category they'd rather not be in, because it isn't seen as optimum for their career purposes. Or might they be afraid of being labeled because of the way Christians are portrayed in the media?

To say we're Christians in today's secular world is not for those who lack courage. To say we're Christians, means we're willing to suffer in the face of those who oppose Christianity enough to make fun of it, and us.

Here are some wise words by one of America, and the South's, greatest writers:

I think there is no suffering greater than what is caused by the doubts of those who want to believe. I know what torment this is, but I can only see it, in myself anyway, as the process by which faith is deepened. A faith that just accepts is a child’s faith and all right for children, but eventually you have to grow religiously as every other way, though some never do.

This notion that grace is healing omits the fact that before it heals, it cuts with the sword Christ said He came to bring.

What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross. It is much harder to believe than not to believe. If you feel you can’t believe, you must at least do this: keep an open mind. Keep it open toward faith, keep wanting it, keep asking for it, and leave the rest to God.

- Flannery O’Connor

Faith comes from within each individual, as a grace. Faith is a part of who we are. It is not a fairytale reliance on things unseen. It is real. It is action. It is love. And--if we're sincere about it--Our Faith is worth standing up for in a crowd, even if we're standing up alone.

I know personally that standing up for one's Faith actually deepens it. Because even if we must stand alone in some situation, we understand that God will give us the strength. All we have to do is seek His courage and we will find it in ourselves.

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Copyright 2014, Kaye Hinckley