LIVING BY FAITH AND AVOIDING TRANSACTIONAL FAITH

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (NKJV)

Often times we think of faith as a transaction between God and man. We pray with faith, praise and worship; then God is pleased and in turn He sends blessings full of what we wanted and requested Him. The transaction is complete awaiting the next cycle. 

Whereas this is partly true, we lose a lot by just focusing on this transactional faith. Looking at the bigger picture, faith is supposed to be the lenses through which we live our everyday life. In every situation whether bad or good, whether large or small, our view and our attitude is supposed to be driven by the faith we have in God. The following are several illustrations about how we can understand faith as life-long lenses rather than just a transaction at given times.

The Shoe Sellers

 
A story is told of two men that were great salesmen of shoes. Even though they were competitors, they were also good friends. Having been in business for long time and dominated the market within their town, they one day decided to set sails and seek for markets in far-away lands. Upon arrival at an island, the two men are shocked that no one in is wearing shoes. 

While one seller decides to return home since there is no market, the other sees a huge market. As one returns home, the other makes an order for a huge shipment of shoes to be sent. This is an example of how we can use faith as the lenses through which we view our everyday life. Both in challenges and in great times, our lenses are supposed to be permanently fixed in the belief that God is there and that He is supreme over everything in our lives.

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

In 1st Kings 17:8-16 we encounter a powerful story of faith in the story of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath. When Elijah meets the widow and asks for water and bread, the widow responds by saying “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread…” This is a very powerful acknowledgement of faith in the existence of God. In addition to that, Elijah asks her to use the little flour and oil she has left to make him cake and that after doing that she will never run out of flour and oil. Whereas she was ready to use the last flour and oil to eat her last meal as they await death from hunger, she instead decides to make Elijah the cake. This is a huge demonstration of faith in the God of Elijah.

From the widow we learn to see faith as first acknowledging that God exists (As the Lord your God lives). Once we acknowledge that He exists then we seek Him and put all our hopes, dreams, challenges and happiness in Him. That will mean that faith is no longer just a transaction where we pray, praise and worship only because we want to be blessed. Faith now becomes the lenses through which we see our everyday life. We see our lives through the will of God upon us and our endeavour should be to build a relationship with Him and involve him in everything we go through both in good and in challenging times. Put on the lenses of faith, and never take them off.

APPROACHING THE DREADED AGE 30

For many of us, the age 30 is a major turning point  or milestone. It is that point where you start to reflect on the goals you had set for yourself like getting married, starting a family, finishing your masters degree or building your own house. But for many, they discover they have made many errors in life. Like choosing the wrong career, wrong spouse or failed to achieve the target academically or financially. To the ladies mostly, this age is dreaded if one has not been married or settled down to a serious relationship. Regardless of whether you are a man or woman, this reflection phase can either motivate you or depress you even more.
The best approach is by first accepting it as it is. Instead of panicking, realize that you are going through a normal phase and just take time to exhale, reflect and redefine your goals. Take stock of goals that you have achieved and those that you have not. Measure what you are capable of achieving by reviewing the choices in front of you. You capabilities will be determined by the skills, competencies, experiences and interests that you have garnered to this age.
Having realized your capabilities, the final step is to go out and explore. Explore the opportunities and choices that are out there within your reach. If it is academics, embrace the new degree or masters degree that will add to your competence. If it is starting a family then take time to make a proper choice rather than rushing just because you feel old enough and society is breathing down your neck. Share your experiences with others around you and it will open your mind to the possibilities of satisfying and valued life ahead. Do not dread the age 30, approach it with confidence and optimism of the great that is ahead.

WISDOM IS KNOWING YOU ARE NOT WISE

The great Greek philosopher Plato described Socrates his teacher as the wisest man. This was despite Socrates claiming to lack knowledge or wisdom. The debate on wisdom started when Socrates and his friend decided to visit an Oracle to find out if there was someone more wise than Socrates. The Oracle confirmed that indeed it is Socrates who was the  wisest. Puzzled as to how the Oracle reached that conclusion, Socrates decided to study poets, politicians, and other craftsmen. He discovered that many people who claim to have immense knowledge on a given matter either know little or nothing at all.
It is difficult to know exactly how the Oracle interpreted wisdom. But the simplest idea would be that the wisest person is that who does not claim to have knowledge. The knowledge of matters of this world are so big that no matter how much we know about something, there is even much more that we cannot know. Even for someone who is considered an expert, the knowledge they have is just a drop in the ocean of all knowledge regarding their subject of specialty. Therefore claiming to be wise is claiming to know everything or claiming to know more than you actually do. When you are wise then you do not need or seek more knowledge.
The wisest person is hence that who knows that they do not know a lot. The wisest person is that who is constantly seeking more knowledge to nourish themselves and grow better. Wisdom is constantly seeking knowledge. Therefore to be wise is to know that you are not wise.  

THE TWO TRAGEDIES OF LIFE

There are two tragedies in this life we live. The first one is someone not achieving their dream. The second is for one to actually achieve their dream. Yes it sounds weird. These were the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The first tragedy is very obvious that when one fails to achieve their dream then they become shattered and feel pain or embarrassment or even both. But how is achieving your dream a tragedy? It should in fact be a source of great joy to achieve and thrill in the sea of success. So lets dwell on the second tragedy that is one achieving their dream.
When one achieves their dream the question becomes "what is next?" This is because what you purposed to achieve is done. In the absence of new purpose and an urge to achieve something then the gusto for living is diminished. The enthusiasm of looking forward to something is lost and life can be dull, meaningless and boring after that. That is the tragedy. So how do we avoid this tragedy of achieving one's dream? The answer is simple dream big.
When your dream is big then it will keep you enthusiastic about life by challenging you and keeping you on toes. You will always have something to look forward to and to excite your imagination. Achieving your dream can be disappointing when you realize it was not as good as you had expected or imagined. Therefore, the total sum of your dream should always just be a fragment of imagination. Imagination is usually sweeter and better than reality.
In essence, for you to avoid the tragedy of achieving your dream, make the dream so big that it will take your whole lifetime to achieve. Dream something that will keep you up at night imagining and looking forward to it. Dream big that it terrifies you and excites you in equal measure. Design a dream that keeps you moving forward in life. Dream big and you will avoid the tragedy of achieving our dream.