A Leap of Faith

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In a cruise through the Panama Canal, one of our first ports of call was Acapulco, Mexico. There we witnessed the daring cliff-divers plunge 130 feet to enter 12 feet of water. The tide had to be just right for them to have sufficient depth. From where they stood, the rocky side of the cliff obscured their view of the ocean below. They must launch out about 12 feet to clear the rocks. That’s a leap of faith. No wonder, they each take time to pray before they attempt it.

Our choice to believe, in some ways, can be likened to a leap of faith. The logical powers of the mind can only take us so far. What happens when we reach the limits of human reason to prove the existence of God? Feelings can only take us so far. What do we do when the harsh realities of life seem to argue against the existence of an all powerful and all caring Creator? All attempts to employ the powers of the intellect to establish an iron clad system of logical principles are found wanting. We can make a powerful argument that may convince someone who wants to believe but we cannot prove that there is a God. Then what do we do?

It seems to me that at some point, we have to take a leap beyond feeling, philosophy and intellect and make a gorgeous gamble, betting everything that beyond the power of logic and the limits of human understanding there is an all knowing and all loving Supreme Being. That can be scary but it is, in my view, a win/win situation.

If I choose to take that leap and there is nothing there but theological speculation, then I have been comforted and empowered by years of believing. If my faith is confirmed, beyond time, by ultimate reality, then better still. Either way, how can I go wrong? If my hopes are a pipe dream, they have still served me well and ministered comfort in times of despair. If they are grounded on eternal reality, then I am twice blest.