According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the first indicator of faith maturity is trusting and believing. Here trust "involves reliance on someone, a readiness to commit one's care or keeping to someone" [God] while belief "involves the confidence in the truth of something." One comes from the heart; the other, the mind. The story of Peter's walking on the water to Jesus recorded in Matthew 14:22-33 illustrates the difficulty of trusting and believing.
"As Christians, we are called to believe in God and to accept on faith some basic truths about who God is and what the world is like." Some of these beliefs appear contradictory:
- "God is both beyond us and within us.
- "Jesus Christ is both divine and human.
- "People suffer, yet God undergirds the world with love."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following five statements:
| 1 = Never true | 5 = Often true |
| 2 = Rarely true | 6 = Almost always true |
| 3 = True once in a while | 7 = Always true |
| 4 = Sometimes true |
___ Every day I see evidence that God is active in the world.
___ I have a real sense that God is guiding me.
___ I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on a cross and rose again.
___ I understand how there can be both a loving God, and so much pain and suffering in the world.
___ I do not believe my salvation depends on obeying God's rules and commandments.
Add your scores and divide by five. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
Connection: For today, look for evidence of God active in our world. How does that shape your response?
Prayer: Loving God, help me remain steadfast in my belief and trust in you. Amen.
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