Close To My Heart

fāTH/
noun
Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Everyone talks a big game about having faith, but when we are asked to put our faith to the test, it becomes very up close and personal. I had such a moment last spring break while on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my family. I wanted to show them just how lucky we are to live in a free country with running water and all the creature comforts one could want. Our mission was to spend five days helping to build a community shower and bathroom as well as give out water filters to help those in Juan Bosch, D.R. have better access to clean water. The project was hard work, and everyone chipped in to make the project successful.

With the bathroom complete we moved on to the water filters which required us to go door to door. We pulled up to the first neighborhood with an interpreter in tow, gung-ho about giving these people some Jesus in the form of water filters. Me, being the fearless leader that I am, wanted to show my girls how it was done. So, we go to the first house where I commenced to tell them how to install the filter onto the 5-gallon bucket and how to use it. Everything went well up until the point when they asked me to fill the bucket up and take a drink from the filter.

The interpreter went to a nearby ditch-yes, I said ditch-to scoop up some water to be filtered. I have to tell you that the water was not your typical dirty. It was a greyish, unholy mixture of I don’t know what, that gave me a reflexive gut cramp just looking at it. I remember having a conversation in my head with Jesus reminding him that I was doing this for the kingdom and that the filter better work, as my hand began to shake while turning the spigot on the filter to fill the cup. I have to confess that as the water poured out of the filter, it was so clear and clean, but I threw the first pour out anyway. I poured another and asked the people if they would like to take a drink and it was a unanimous and resounding NO!

At this point, I had the Dominicans, my family and God himself watching me, so there was no backing out now. I lifted the cup to my quivering lip and took the smallest sip as if to test the water for any bacteria that may still be present. Much to my surprise, the water was good, and in the little Spanish that I know and with a surprised look on my face I yelled “Bueno!” Everyone laughed and wanted to try the water too.

I went on to tell them about how the filter was much like Jesus who takes our dirty, sinful lives and cleanses it, making us whole again. I learned that faith is only faith when it is put to the test…and that those water filters really do a great job!

In his book, What About Tomorrow?, Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton, tells a story about a Baptist minister, Dr. Gordon Torgerson, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean one summer. Dr. Torgerson noticed a man sitting in a deck chair reading the Bible. He sat down beside him and said, “Forgive my curiosity, but I’m a Baptist minister. I assume you are a Christian, and I’m interested to know how it happened.”

“Yes,” said the man, setting aside his Bible. “I’m very glad to talk about that. I’m a Filipino. I was born in a good Catholic home in the Philippines. Some years ago, I came to the United States to study law. My first night on campus, a student came to see me. He said, ‘I’ve come to welcome you to the campus and to say that if there is anything I can do to help make your stay here more pleasant, I hope you’ll call on me.’ Then he asked me where I went to church, and I told him I was a Catholic. He said, ‘Well, I can tell you where the Catholic church is, but it’s not easy to find. It’s quite a distance away. Let me make a map.’ So he made a map to the Catholic church and left.

The man said, “When I awakened Sunday morning, it was raining. I thought to myself, I’ll just not go to church today. I’ll get some more sleep. Then there was a knock on the door, and when I opened it there stood that student. His raincoat was dripping wet and on one arm he had two umbrellas, and he said, ‘I thought you might have a hard time finding your church in the rain. I will walk along with you and show you the way.’

“As we walked along in the rain under the two umbrellas I asked, ‘Where do you go to church?’” ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘my church is just around the corner.’ “I said, ‘Suppose we go to your church today, and we’ll go to my church next Sunday.’
“I went to his church, and I’ve never been back to mine. After four years, I felt it was not the law for me, but the ministry. I went to Drew Seminary and was ordained a Methodist minister, and received an appointment to a Methodist church in the Philippines. My name is Valencius. I am Bishop Valencius, Bishop of the Methodist Church in the Philippines.”

Now, that is a fascinating story of one of the most important people in the world–not the Bishop, though he is important, but the student with the two umbrellas. All of us need to be like the student with the two umbrellas: someone who makes our faith so useful and so attractive that others say, “Your faith has helped me! I want the kind of faith you have!”

Most people do not know that they are dysfunctional. The reality is we are all uniquely and wonderfully made with our own quirks and defense mechanisms. The very thinking styles, behavioral and instinctual responses that are used for safety all too often keep us stuck in patterns that impact our quality of life. We all face issues related to mental health and emotional wellness. In the U.S., anxiety is the most common mental illness experienced by adults. Eighteen percent of the population is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder each year and only 36.9 percent of those diagnosed receive treatment. It takes a high level of courage to reach out for help in a world that is quick to cast judgment on those who need support. Everyone could benefit from therapy and life coaching. It is completely normal to struggle with maintaining a healthy balance with all the roles and responsibilities in our lives. It’s normal to get into ruts in our marriages. We all have blind spots that get in the way of intimacy and connection. We all fear losing connection with others or fear being seen as we are. All are a part of the human experience. Unfortunately, these struggles and accompanying parts of ourselves calling out for attention tend to get shoved into the shadows of our consciousness. We don’t address them or try to understand them until they start creating disruption to the point they can no longer be ignored. It’s easier to blame or point at others’ struggles than it is to “take the log out of our own eye” and see our own dysfunctional selves. Conflict, grief, stress, addiction, depression, anxiety, and trauma all provide opportunities to learn about ourselves and change patterns that are no longer serving us. Successful struggle requires growth. Just like one’s physical health depends upon knowing about our body, developing healthy habits and, at times, seeking professional intervention; mental health also requires knowledge of ourselves, developing necessary healthy habits, and professional intervention at times. Maintenance and practice of healthy choices in both areas can decrease the risk of major illness.