A to Z Blogging: B is for Beliefs

Everyone believes in something, whether consciously or subconsciously, and those beliefs seem to dictate who we are, what we do and how we live.  Remarkably when we change our core beliefs our entire lives can change as well.

For many years I held a certain set of beliefs pertaining to my spiritual life.  I was taught a dogmatic religious protocol typical in most evangelical church settings today.  I was taught that God was in control of everything, that His way of loving us often included testing and trials, and that we were to accept without question everything in life that came our way as being His will. I was taught that while God loved sinners, once we became a part of His family, we were expected to earn greater favor with Him (and thus His positive influence in our lives) by following the commandments and submitting (again, without question) to others in leadership.

I accepted this philosophy because it was what I had been taught as truth.  I think everyone wants to believe what they know is the truth, and I was no different.  I read the Bible, I listened to teachers, I attended a house of worship faithfully, fearfully tithed, served and prayed.  I attended an Evangelical Christian university and had to take Bible classes as part of the curriculum.  I understood that a life fully lived for a loving God would be filled with His power, yet I couldn't consistently tap into that power.  My life went along okay, but I knew there were many disparities in what I had been taught and what I read.

One day a few years ago someone challenged me on my beliefs when they asked, "How is that working for you?"

In that moment, it was as if the scales fell from my eyes and I began to see life in a new light.  I listened to different messages, read the Bible with a different viewpoint and realized that while I believed God was still the omnipotent creator of the universe and that He really did love mankind fully, much of what we attribute to His hand was not His will or His doing at all.

Please don't misunderstand me: I still believe the commandments are a wise lifestyle, as well as other instructions given forth in the Bible, but I don't think that living by them will earn me any greater position in the hierarchy of eternity, or determine my state of salvation.

Once I re-read the Bible from a different viewpoint, I discovered that much of the difficulty in life is because mankind was given a choice at creation and there are always consequences for choices made.  Sometimes the choices of others overflow into innocent lives making them victims.  However, I also believe that God is always providing a way out or warning before things happen but we often don't pay attention or our reasoning gets in the way of obeying the still small voice.

When I allowed my core belief in God to change from master puppeteer to loving father, I was able to see how much responsibility for my own happiness and life I carry myself.  I will grant that it is more comfortable to allow God to take the blame or credit for the bad or good that comes to us in life, but I am grateful to have had my beliefs altered to accept my part in the ups and downs that come my way.  It does not leave me feeling helpless, but rather empowered.

I had to work through (and in fact am still working through) many old beliefs to reach the joyous life I have today, living with confidence that I am loved by my Creator no matter how I behave, and that in His love for me he has already given me everything I need, and access to the power and ability to reach out and take what He offers.  It was as though my life changed overwhelmingly for the better when I was challenged to note whether my beliefs were working for me or not.