“But what if I can’t believe it all?” she asked as she seemingly pushed herself back into the cushions of the sofa.
She’d been coming to the parson’s church off and on for almost a year. It was a leg of a spiritual journey she’d begun some time before she first visited the church. But of late things seemed to have intensified.
“Actually, it’s a bit hard for any of us to believe.”
She looked up at the parson. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“Said what?”
“That it’s hard for you to believe.”
“Well, it is. Think about it; the whole concept is preposterous.”
She stared at the parson a long minute. Then she leaned forward and said with intensity in her voice. “Okay, what about things like the virgin birth and walking on water?”
“See,” said the parson, “that’s just what I’m talking about. It’s preposterous.”
“You don’t believe Jesus walked on water?”
“It’s not really a matter of believing whether Jesus walked on water or not; truth is, I find that really irrelevant.”
“Do you really?”
“Sure; don’t you?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Well, yes, but I’m a skeptic. You’re a pastor.”
“Do you know something I don’t know? You can’t be a skeptical pastor?”
“Can you?” she smiled.
“I sure hope so.”
She leaned back again into the cushions. She stared first at the parson and then at the refraction of the light coming through the stained glass window of the parson’s study.
“Look, I really believe Jesus was the Son of God. I’ve really come to believe that. But I also believe that I’m a daughter of God. And by believing that I’m diminishing what traditional Christians think about Jesus being the Son of God.”
‘
She looked to the parson. He finally surmised she was waiting for a response.
“Okay.”
“Okay? Okay? You’re telling me that’s okay.”
“It’s okay if that’s where you are in your faith.”
“That’s where I am.”
“Do you have any idea how blessed you are. Most people have no concept at all of where they are in their faith.”
“But my faith is one big question.”
“Ah, but you’re far enough along to ask the question.”
“This is going to end up with you telling me to just keep working on it; isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not.” This is going to end up with me telling you to just let it keep working on you.”
Comments