Have you ever heard of a Metaphysical Chapel? Neither had I, until Sarah and I saw one on the drive back from North Carolina. Based on their name, I had my suspicions about their beliefs, but out of curiosity I Googled them when we got home. Turns out, their beliefs include a pantheistic mixture of New Age and eastern religions, with a slightly Christian flavor added. They believe in God is an impersonal force, and they accept the Bible as only a book of moral stories, not the inerrant Word of God.

I have to wonder why a person would choose this kind of thing over a relationship with Jesus Christ. I suppose there are a number of reasons, but I do believe that part of the problem is that we have not equipped people with the knowledge, wisdom, and sound logic that Scripture has to offer. Christianity’s beliefs make sense. We do accept many things on faith, but I believe it’s a logical faith.

I suppose if I had the privilege of speaking with a member of this group, I’d ask them where the basis for their beliefs lies. As an Evangelical Christian, my foundation is Scripture—understood as the original writers meant it. If what I feel does not agree with Scripture, then it’s not valid. I may think that I can communicate with the dead, or that there is no Hell, but where is my authority to draw these conclusions? Without Scripture’s solid foundation, we find ourselves adrift in an unstable sea of ever-changing human emotions and ideas. It’s a recipe for certain disaster.

With all our life changes recently, I have met with a challenge that came unexpectedly. Having been in the military since I was 17, I became used to receiving a certain degree of respect just based on my career choice. Now that I have chosen a path that many people (including Christians) seem to question, I have had to really stop and think about who I am in Christ. It’s easy as a man to strive to be the one with the answers, the protector and provider for my family. What do I do when God calls me down a road with limited knowledge of the future? Sometimes the humbleness of not knowing doesn’t seem to reconcile well with being the man with the answers. I guess as time passes, I will adjust to this new reality, but until then, this is who I am:

I am a child of God.
All of the wisdom, knowledge and intelligence that I may possess, is a gift from Him.
I don’t have all the answers, but I know Who does.
I will cling to my identity in Christ at all costs, and if that makes me look small and insignificant, that’s because…well… I’m small and insignificant.

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30