God Sized Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
~ Hebrews 11:1

Recently a parishioner shared that her understanding and experience of God took a dramatic turn years ago after reading J.B. Phillips best selling and now classic book Your God is Too Small. This got me to thinking about the "size" of "my God," and how the size of our God affects our faith.

Our faith is only as great as our understanding of God. Now this may sound like a simplistic, formulaic statement but it really is true in exactly the opposite way. The smaller our God, the easier it is to create simple formulas and rituals to please and appease in order to gain favor. Unfortunately much of formal religious practice falls into this category as we attempt to define and categorize God. And in doing so we make God simple, ironically, through complex theologies.

But what if, as most religious scriptures proclaim, God defies definition and categorization? What if the "size" of God is unlimited? And if we are indeed infused with the Spirit and Image of such a God? Then potential and possibilities within any given moment of our lives are also boundless. Another way to express this is that God is present in all experiences of life whether small, large, or in-between. God is not large or small, but rather One-Size-Fits-All. God is the universe. God is also each and every breath we take.

The opposite of faith is not doubt but rather certitude. Whenever we are certain of God's size, be certain this is not faith. Faith is living in the boundless, unknowable mystery and awe of a One Size Fits All Eternal Presence.